Category: Press Clips

What is needed is a rock-solid moral and financial commitment by elected officials in Illinois to continue to support public health. That includes pre- and post-natal care.

I was pleasantly surprised by a Chicago Med episode earlier this year that highlighted #FamilyConnectsChi, a program that was piloted at Rush Medical Center. The scene opens with an indignant physician demanding funding for this program, which provides home visits for mothers and babies during the critical first six weeks postpartum.

Maternal mortality in Illinois emerged as a serious concern in 2018, with the inaugural release of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report.

Even though I am a maternal-child and community health specialist, I was astounded by the statewide trends in maternal and pregnancy-related deaths. Non-Hispanic Black women experienced six times the risk of death compared to their white counterparts. Even accounting for chronic health conditions like obesity, nearly three in four pregnancy-related deaths (72%) were deemed preventable. In an updated report in 2021, four in five pregnancy-related deaths (80%) were deemed preventable.

To address the problems, IDPH recommendations included expanding home visiting programs, especially early in the postpartum period, which led to the adoption of the Family Connects International program in Chicago.

Home visiting has been proven to be effective for nearly half a century, with significant benefits to the health and lives of first-time moms and their children who are affected by social and economic inequality. The return on investment is significant: For every dollar spent on these efforts, at least $2 are saved on future spending.

The adoption of home visiting programs could be a powerful model for other preventative efforts — for example, programs to address chronic health issues like diabetes, heart disease, etc. — that could improve public health overall.

To be sure, this is not news. But better access to primary health care would improve health outcomes for cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer of people in this country, and the myriad other health conditions that plague our country. As many of these deaths arising from these conditions are preventable, we must ask: Why are we not committed to preventing them?

The answer? Money. Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady stresses the need for a “more sensible, sustainable approach to promoting and protecting the nation’s health.”

Yet our public health infrastructure is chronically underfunded. We all witnessed the outcome during the COVID-19 pandemic. People without access to care, and those with chronic health conditions, fared the worst.

The federal government’s emergency pandemic funding was a vital Band-Aid but ultimately represents a reactionary, stop-gap approach.

What is needed instead is a rock-solid moral and financial commitment by elected officials in Illinois to continue to support public health efforts, including monitoring and prevention of infectious and chronic diseases, pre- and post-natal care, and the promotion of behavioral health.

Health in all policies

COVID-19 showed us our communities’ best and worst. For clinicians dedicated to public health, the pandemic provided an urgent and unique opportunity to put infrastructure into place to address the health needs of the general population.

I’m proud Illinois is leading the way. In December 2022, Illinois was the first to be awarded $86 million in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for public health infrastructure, with an additional $28 million awarded to the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). This award will support ongoing programs, including Family Connects, and address health disparities.

As Chicago awaits a new mayoral administration, it is imperative this issue rises to the top of the political agenda. We have an extraordinary opportunity to build on our collective experience and advocate for the development of Health in All Policies (HiAP), to integrate health considerations into all of our policymaking.

We’d frankly be foolish to squander the opportunity to support a healthier city and become a model for the nation.

Yasmin Cavenagh, DNP, MPH, RN, is an assistant professor in the department of Women, Children and Family Nursing at Rush University and holds a faculty practice role in Family Connects. Cavenagh is a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project.

By Emmett Gartner egartner@newspost.com
Mar 15, 2023

Hodge said those questions were common during her pregnancy, but waned as attention shifted to her newborn.

“It kind of makes you feel human again,” Hodge said. “It’s that moment where I matter. … And I think new moms kind of forget that.”

The program that dispatched Carey to Hodge’s home in Frederick — Family Connects Frederick County — was launched in January. It offers a home visit by a registered nurse to any family with a baby delivered at Frederick Health Hospital.

In 2022, Frederick County allocated $8 million of federal funding it received through the American Recovery Plan Act to create the program. Frederick Health, the county’s largest health care provider, was in charge of its implementation.

The foundations of the program were created by a task force within the local Health Care Coalition and leadership from Pilar Olivo, a liaison for the county’s Office of Children and Families.

Olivo and the task force have worked for years to raise awareness and reduce the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in Frederick County. The new Family Connects program has aided in that initiative.

Staff photo by Katina Zentz. Jamie Hodge holds her infant daughter, Mallory, in their home’s doorway on Tuesday. Hodge has used Frederick Health’s at-home service, which includes visits from nurses and well-being assessments.

Frederick Health spokesperson Sara Jackson wrote in an email that 11 nurses are assigned to the program and 337 families have scheduled a home visit since Jan. 1.

That accounts for more than 80% of Frederick County families who have had a baby at Frederick Health in that time span, according to Jackson.

During visits, primary caregivers like Hodge and their infants get a health and well-being assessment and additional resources on lactation, nutrition and child care.

For Hodge, one of the most beneficial aspects of the program was the support Carey provided after the visit.

Hodge said Carey has been a pivotal source in answering questions and supporting her as she navigates being a mother for the first time.

“Any questions I had, no matter how insignificant I thought they were, she would answer them,” Hodge said.

That included questions about when to move up in diaper size for Mallory, concerns Hodge and her husband, Michael Hodge, had about Mallory’s weight gain, and general questions about formula.

Hodge said that although she and her husband have a robust family network to help with Mallory, it was especially beneficial to have a more objective expert in Carey to provide initial guidance.

“I knew that her being part of the hospital, she’s a mandated reporter to the state,” Hodge said. “So, if she found anything wrong with the baby, she was going to call. … I would want somebody to make sure the baby’s safe, no matter what the circumstances.”

For Carey, Family Connects has offered her an enriching professional experience through face-to-face time with families.

“I’ve never felt more fulfilled as a nurse in 12 years than I have sitting down with these mothers, having a conversation and supporting them through some of the hardest days that they will have with their newborn,” Carey said.

With that understanding of difficulty, Carey is sure to ask about the parents’ well being, like she did with the Hodges.

Jamie Hodge said it was when Carey asked how her husband was doing that she realized that question, too, was often overlooked.

“Her question stuck with me the entire time that she was here and even after she left,” Hodge said. “Nobody thinks to ask the spouse or the partner how they’re doing.”

Since Carey’s visit, Hodge has seen Mallory develop a unique personality, intrigued by trees in the family’s backyard and the deep pitch of male voices.

“She loves the deep voice,” Hodge said. “She is very good with her eyesight and her tracking, so if you’re talking, she will look for you. … And she loves looking out the window and seeing the trees move.”

Hodge said the prioritization Carey and others have provided her and her mental health have helped her be the best possible parent she can be to Mallory.

“You have to take care of yourself, your mental health, because if you’re not, that baby is not going to have the best version of you,” Hodge said.

 

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