Caring for Babies Is Hard, Especially without Support. This Nonprofit Is a Lifeline.

Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies provides everything from prenatal care to lactation assistance to guidance on soothing fussy infants.
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Photos: Courtesy of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii

Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawaii is a nonprofit that provides access to maternal health care and education for mothers and children.

Tanya Smith-Johnson, the organization’s policy director, says HMHB’s mission has been the same since its founding in 1992: to help underprivileged mothers and at-risk newborns.

“We believe in a child’s right to be born healthy and raised in a safe and nurturing environment,” says Smith-Johnson, who’s also director of the nonprofit’s community-based doula program. She says the group strives to provide equal access to quality health care and to eliminate health disparities. Respect for diversity is key, she says, and so is educating families to make healthy choices.

HMHB’s Hawaii Cribs for Kids program has guided 1,200 families on safe sleeping practices for their children. The curriculum includes education on risk factors and how to create a safe sleep environment. And parents learn the importance of tracking their baby’s health throughout the first year of life, and gain insight into infant crying, which can help reduce infant abuse.

Upon completion of the course, each family receives a free Graco Pack ‘n Play portable playpen.

“It’s one of those things we use for everything,” says mother Colleen Veasey. “We use it as the crib for my baby. It’s his primary sleeping spot. That was a huge help.”

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Donated diapers being distributed on Maui for wildfire survivors.

In another program, Piko Pals, new parents meet in small groups to share their experiences. Smith-Johnson says parents can often learn from each other, while gaining emotional support and reducing social isolation.

The Mana Mama program is HMHB’s holistic approach to maternal care. Clinical services, including prenatal care, contraception services, pregnancy testing and counseling, and basic infertility services, are provided to mothers by HMHB’s staff. Clients can also learn about pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum, lactation, and wellness.

Veasey says the lactation consultant she worked with through HMHB was incredibly helpful with breastfeeding. “When breastfeeding wasn’t going super well and I was getting stressed out, I got a lactation consultant through them, certified, and my insurance covered it,” she says.

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Healthy Mothers Heathy Babies shipped its mobile clinic from O‘ahu to Maui after the Lahaina fire to bring families pre-natal and post-natal care and supplies.

“Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies will help women get a lot of these services covered through their insurance. I wouldn’t know how to get any of these things covered by insurance, or even know they were covered by insurance, if it weren’t for HMHB.”

After the Lahaina fire, HMHB shifted more resources to help families on Maui. From day one, Smith-Johnson says, “we were able to immediately get supplies and our team on the ground to help out.”

Necessities such as baby wipes, formula, food and diapers were provided and HMHB’s mobile clinic, typically located on O‘ahu, was shipped to Maui.

The mobile clinic gave “us the ability to be mobile and reach displaced people and get them care and supplies,” says Smith-Johnson.

 

 

Categories: Nonprofit