Prenatal Enrichment Program

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

The prenatal Enrichment Program (PEP) was created in June of 2009 to provide a safety net of public health nurse (PHN) home visiting and case management for pregnant teens and pregnant women with high-risk factors who could not access other services to address their pregnancy risks. PEP includes a comprehensive home visit by a PHN to assess the pregnant woman and provide counseling about steps to address any identified risk factors; linkage with selected county resources such as WIC, mental health, or substance abuse treatment services, and education about caring for themselves and their baby. The PHN maintains regular (at least monthly (contact and makes a final home visit six weeks after the baby’s birth. To date, this program has enrolled 775 pregnant women. A total of 365 have had the postpartum visit. Their babies have birth weights better than the county-wide average adjusted for race, and their rates of prematurity are similar to the county rates. PEP has successfully made linkages to services that are central to improved outcomes and has provided an important safety net for clients who otherwise would not have had this PHN education, linkage to services, and ongoing support.