Center for Ministry Formation

Even more was accomplished

Back in early 2022, Mercy Health Lima received a $20,000 grant through Ohio Department of Health to improve maternal and infant health resources and opportunities within the community. As maternal and infant health was a primary identified need, several community partners joined our ministry to discern how best to steward the resources through the grant.

Areas of focus included infant safe sleep, the education of new parents, post-partum depression, breastfeeding, car seat safety, and populations where barriers to care and access have led to more disparities. We purchased 1,500 Safe Sleep Sacks for all newborns delivered at St. Rita’s Medical Center, which included a guide for all parents directing them to community and educational resources. New childbirth and breastfeeding education materials were also provided to help assist new parents going through the Childbirth classes at St. Rita’s. This was in addition to the inclusive breastfeeding dolls that we provided to help new mothers practice once they deliver.

The grant provided even more support for new parents. For example, community events were coordinated with Help Me Grow, celebrating current moms and recruiting new ones, focusing on receiving more referrals. This past spring, a baby shower for first time mothers was held, where they were provided diapers, wipes, shampoos, baby oil, toddler toothbrushes, developmental and other education items, helping set up these new mothers for success, to celebrate their journey and to allow them and their newborns to thrive!

Mental health concerns continue to be an identified need for mothers suffering post-partum depression, especially mothers lacking resources. To address these needs, we partnered with Heartbeat of Lima to provide an opportunity for their staff to be trained in screening patients with an evidence-based depression screen. Then we partnered with Cornerstone of Hope to provide funding for mothers who screen positive, referring them for counseling services.

Including diverse populations in our outreach efforts was of paramount importance. Often, certain patient populations face challenges in accessing care that can be complicated by differences in language and familiarity with social resources. For instance, we recently noticed an increase in Haitian and Hispanic populations migrating into our community. To address their needs, we funded training for a bilingual advocate and for medical translation services at Heartbeat of Lima. Additionally, we purchased a Spanish curriculum for Hispanic Mothers and Families wanting to engage and take classes at Heartbeat.

Even more was accomplished with the grant money. Our ministry partnered with Heartbeat of Lima to launch a Ride Safe program where mothers received educational classes that covered topics such as the prevention of SIDS or safe sleep, breastfeeding, parenting, etc. After completing the childbirth class at St. Rita’s, they received a certificate for a car seat that was provided to them through the grant. Stewarding this grant money contributed in multiple ways to the health and wellness of our community.