EHCA's Project First Step Undergoes Study, Demonstrates Success
& TODAY IS AN AFFILIATE OF HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA
(For immediate release) – Dr. Sara Lichtenwalter, faculty in the Social Work Department at Gannon University and licensed social worker, recently evaluated the program outcomes for the women served through the Erie Homes for Children and Adults (EHCA) Project First Step (PFS) Program’s doula services.
Doula services were designed to match an expecting mom with disabilities with a doula, or trained birthing assistant, as soon after conception as possible, in order to coach and follow the mom through her pregnancy, delivery, and post-partum process. With the goal to promote the health, safety, and well-being of the pregnant woman and her family, PFS staff also help ensure the security and welfare of the newborn baby after he/she arrives. Staff may help moms understand the importance of regular check-ups, help them communicate with their physicians and follow through on doctor’s orders, help moms eat healthy and prepare their bodies for healthy deliveries, including addressing smoking, alcohol, or drug concerns, help moms prepare and safeguard their homes for baby, as well as obtain baby necessities, such as a car seat, diapers, and other must-haves. Staff tailor the services to each individual case and focus on the entire family unit.
“I truly appreciate the work being done through Project First Step,” says Lichtenwalter. “It was a privilege to assist with the work of this program. I got a sense immediately that the staff wanted to do the best work possible, and everyone was very receptive of all my feedback during the study.”
Lichtenwalter spent over a year, with the help of PFS staff and a Gannon student, compiling data and sorting through the results of all the PFS doula cases between 2001 and July 2008. Performing secondary data analysis and comparing the doula services outcomes to national statistics on pregnancy outcomes, Lichtenwalter’s goal was to find what wasn’t working well and offer suggestions for improvement.
“I was actually surprised by the findings in the comparative analysis” Lichtenwalter admits, “particularly since the Project First Step Program serves women with the highest levels of susceptibility to poor pregnancy outcomes.
“The pregnancy outcomes for the high-risk, low income women served by the doula services were better than the overall pregnancy outcomes for the general population. With 93 percent of women receiving services delivering full-term, healthy infants, the success of this program exceeded the rates reported on the general population by the National Center for Health Statistics.”
According to Lichtenwalter, “This evaluation indicates that Project First Step offers a potential 57% reduction in the rate of pre-term deliveries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the average first year medical costs for premature babies are about 10 times greater than for full-term babies, and medical, educational and lost productivity annual costs related to premature births in the US exceed $26.2 billion dollars.” Lichtenwalter was adamant about the importance of these savings, noting that annual hospital charges for newborns and their mothers exceed the costs of any other single reason for hospitalization.
"Aside from savings in medical expenses, the doula services offered through Project First Step reap savings in the areas of extended care for medically fragile infants and future life-time community supports,” explains Lichtenwalter. “Furthermore, the parenting component of the Project First Step Program limited the involvement of the Office of Children and Youth and helped moms maintain custody of her child and strengthened the family bonds.
“Without reservation, it is one of the most extraordinarily cost effective programs I’ve evaluated.”
When EHCA began offering doula services over a decade ago, their approach was innovative. In July 2011, PFS affiliated with Healthy Families America (HFA), a national program that strives to provide all expectant and new parents with the opportunity to receive the education and support they need at the time their baby is born. With this new affiliation, their doula services is changing to become a more encompassing ‘enhanced family and doula services.’ As an evidence-based program, Healthy Families America will also link our staff to trainings, best practices, and educational materials, not to mention the networking opportunities with peers from other similar quality programs. PFS is proud to be one of the first service of its kind to affiliate with Healthy Families America. This newly designed service will focus on the prenatal services and work with families and children up to age three. Our PFS will continue to offer its separate services of family engagement, family stabilization, and visitation services.
“We are thrilled to be able to say we were the first agency in Pennsylvania to affiliate with Healthy Families America,” says Tina Ferraro, program director. “The opportunities that this association has to offer to the families we serve are going to bring a whole new dimension to what we already do well. While we are still strongly encouraging prenatal services, we can now accept referrals for families with infants up to three months old, and with the extensive assessment and evaluation tools HFA provides, we can work with families who may need extra help longer than before. It’s truly a benefit to the families in this community, and we are excited to be offering cutting-edge curriculum to Erie and Venango county moms.”
Funding by the Erie Community Foundation helped make this affiliation possible. At a recent grant presentation, EHCA’s Jim Steber and Karyn Langdon of the Development Department accepted a check from the Foundation’s Michael Batchelor, pictured left.
Helping Moms, Delivering Babies
Project First Step serves moms who have disabilities or are at risk for delivering a baby with disabilities; families served are under the poverty level and often have other medical or social concerns. Sometimes, one program participant can display an array of challenges.
Imagine working with a mom who has been diagnosed with mental illness. Who is homeless. Who has just found she’s expecting twins. In addition to the typical heightened risks a multiple birth adds to a pregnancy, the woman has some pre-existing medical conditions including diabetes, only one kidney, and a prior gastric bypass surgery. On top of all this, the woman is Hispanic and has only been speaking English for two years.
In this case, staff found a way to communicate first, then educate, connect, and encourage the mom with finding affordable but safe, clean housing; transportation to physician appointments; understanding physician advice and carrying out proper prenatal care; and managing basic life skills while preparing for motherhood.
She delivered healthy twin sons at 36 weeks – phenomenal for twins especially considering all her medical concerns during pregnancy.
The mom recently got her driver’s license and is enjoying parenthood, thanks to the assistance she received from EHCA.