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Maternal and Child Health

MotherNet L.A.

MotherNet LAIn 1994, INMED established the MotherNet L.A. perinatal home visiting program and family resource center in Compton in response to requests from local agencies familiar with INMED’s nationally recognized MotherNet America program model. Now, with a 14-year record of successful program implementation, steady growth and positive program outcomes among the disadvantaged population of Compton and the surrounding communities of south Los Angeles County, INMED’s MotherNet L.A. program has proved its effectiveness in making a measurable impact on the health and well-being of populations hard to reach through traditional channels, and in helping at-risk children and families maximize their potential for success—despite the challenges of their environment.

Through MotherNet L.A.’s perinatal home visiting program, participants receive semimonthly home visits from the prenatal period up to two years postpartum. During home visits, an extensively trained, bilingual (English-Spanish) paraprofessional home visitor provides one-on-one, culturally and linguistically sensitive mentoring and guidance; education on perinatal, infant/child and reproductive health, infant/child development, positive parenting, healthy relationships, etc., specifically targeted to the needs and unique situations of each family; and emotional and practical support to achieve participant-defined goals.

Specific activities implemented through the MotherNet L.A. program include the following:

  • Risk Assessments. Identify and document each participant’s individual needs and concerns. Address relevant issues during the course of home visits, provide related educational and informational materials, and link participants to appropriate resources to address areas of concern.
  • Perinatal Health and Education. Educate pregnant women and teens (and their male partners, when possible) on the importance of prenatal care, good nutrition and healthy lifestyles; factors linked to preterm labor, premature birth, and SIDS; other topics related to healthy birth outcomes, such as STDs, tobacco/alcohol/substance abuse cessation and oral health care; and infant/child health. Link participants to perinatal and primary health care providers. Mom and Baby
  • Referral and Liaison Services. Link pregnant and parenting women and teens to other health, social and educational resources as appropriate, such as pregnancy testing and maternity counseling, adoption counseling, STD and HIV/AIDS screening and treatment, mental health resources, domestic violence counseling, alcohol and drug treatment, smoking cessation programs, vocational resources, child care resources, WIC, regional centers for developmental delays, and MotherNet L.A.’s parent education classes.
  • Health Access. Educate pregnant and parenting participants on the importance of obtaining and maintaining child health coverage and a medical home. Guide participants in the use of a primary care provider. Assist parents in enrolling in no-cost or low-cost health care coverage as appropriate.
  • Immunization. Educate participants on the importance of timely and complete immunization. Share information with parents on the recommended schedule of immunizations, and remind parents when immunizations are due for each child.
  • Family Planning. Discuss family planning, contraception and reproductive health, including STD education, as part of the prenatal curriculum with all participants. Link participants with other family planning resources. Address issues of contraception negotiation and sexual coercion when necessary. Provide ongoing encouragement to adolescent mothers and fathers to utilize contraception correctly and consistently, or to remain abstinent.
  • Center-Based Parent Education and Support. Deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate education on infant and child health, home safety, child development, parent-child bonding and attachment, positive discipline, nutrition, healthy lifestyles, team parenting, preventing family violence, building stronger families, etc., in a participatory format. Model positive behaviors and parenting strategies. Provide emotional support and a venue for at-risk parents to build a social support network. Engage participants’ children in developmentally appropriate activities while parents take part in classes.

Furthermore, in response to one of the most critical issues among our adolescent participants, we offer emergency assistance for those in domestic violence situations, assist them in obtaining restraining orders, and help them demonstrate proof of income and obtain cash aid from the L.A. County Department of Public Social Services in order to pay for their placement in a maternity home, since local domestic violence shelters are not open to unemancipated minors.

Our Record of Success

Particularly in the context of local statistics, INMED’s MotherNet L.A. program has compiled a distinguished record of success by promoting healthy birth outcomes, increasing the use of preventive care, including child well-care and immunizations, and increasing access to health care. For example, among our home visiting participants in 2007-2008:

  • 100% of pregnant women and teens received adequate or better prenatal care from the point of their enrollment. This achievement stand out compared to the rate of women/teens who receive late or no prenatal care in Los Angeles County’s Service Planning Area 6, which encompasses Compton; that rate stands at 13.4%.
  • 100% of children had health coverage and a medical home. This achievement is particularly meaningful given that SPA 6 has the highest rates countywide of children who have no regular source of health care (12%), children who have difficulty accessing medical care (20.8%), and children who are uninsured (11.3%).
  • 98% of children remained up-to-date on their immunizations. This is a notable achievement, given that only 77.9% of children countywide have received the complete series of recommended immunizations. Even though not all children enrolled in the MNLA program are old enough to have completed the full series of vaccines, the comparison of up-to-date completion rates nevertheless highlights our program’s success in this area.
  • 100% of teen mothers avoided rapid repeat births (within 24 months of the first child’s birth). This is an outstanding accomplishment given the fact that nearly one-third of adolescent mothers nationwide will have a repeat birth during their teen years. Locally, SPA 6 has the highest rates countywide of teen births, including a substantial percentage of repeat births.
No families had founded reports of child abuse or neglect. This represents a significant success in SPA 6, which has the county’s highest number of child abuse and neglect reports.

In addition to our signature MotherNet L.A. perinatal home visiting program, INMED also plays a role in the South Los Angeles Best Babies Collaborative, a group of local medical and social service providers working to promote healthier pregnancies, birth outcomes and interconception care in high-risk communities. Through this collaborative group, we will provide home visits, case management and center-based education to a collective total of 90 pregnant and parenting adolescents at highest risk for poor birth outcomes, including those with diabetes, hypertension or chemical dependency issues, through 2008.