BABY BASICS

A low-income woman entering the prenatal center system may feel overwhelmed from the moment she places the first call for an appointment.  Rather than placing blame, let’s follow the experience from the patient as well as the professional’s perspective.

In the healthcenter:

• The moment a pregnant woman walks in the health center door, she may be growled at by the clerical staff or receptionist to take a seat.  In many health centers the clerical staff is overworked, and may feel underappreciated by the professional staff. Yet, a mother at her first appointment doesn’t know that, to her this receptionist is the first face of her healthcare experience.  
• The providers at prenatal clinics often have at most five minutes to spend with a patient-- an unfortunate reality of today’s healthcare system.  
• Most provides do not have strategies or tools that help them clearly communicate across literacy and cultural barriers.
• Little is written down to help patients remember and act upon instructions
• The written materials patients do receive are rarely at the right reading level; are often unattractive and condescending; and are infrequently referred to during or following a visit.
• Having asked no questions, and received little time with the provider or a health educator, mothers may incorrectly perceive that the prenatal appointment is designed for the doctor’s purposes, as a way to “check-up on them,” not to care for them.  

Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) such as home visiting or education program:  

• There is rarely any way to follow – up or coordinate care and education between healthcare centers and CBO’s – both about specific patient’s needs or overall health education messages.
• Mothers have a difficult time reporting back what happened at their visit, or their doctor’s instructions so educators can do little follow-up education.  
• The educator often gets the questions that should be asked to the provider – and educators have no way to ensure moms get the questions answered by the right medical professional – leading to frustration all around. (Many moms are just too nervous about asking questions, so they often “forget” to ask them.)

These insights led to the Baby Basics Program's organic evolution from book, to program, to philosophy of healthcare.   The program puts everyone “on the same page” and strengthens the delivery of prenatal care and education to vulnerable populations.

The Baby Basics Program's Goals are:

• TO PROVIDE evidence-based prenatal materials to underserved families that are not only beautiful, comprehensive and easy to read but also serve as a catalyst for learning and family literacy.
• TO EMPOWER, engage and educate underserved parents so that they become effective users of the healthcare system and can advocate for themselves and their families.
• TO TEACH healthcare providers and educators how to use health literacy and cultural competency tools and strategies to improve patient communication and compliance.
• TO BUILD community initiatives so that providers and educators are all "on the same page” and families receive integrated, coordinated prenatal and parenting messages.

How can the Baby Basics Program work in your setting?

We will guide you. Take this very brief survey, the Getting Started Guide, to learn more about the Baby Basics Program and its implementation. (We promise, it's brief!)  Your answers will help us create a template of what a Baby Basics Program could look like if fully integrated into your existing program.  Each question pertains to a goal and/or element of our program so you'll learn more as you go!  Just chose the answer that best applies to your current practice.