Hilltop, with help from The Colorado Health Foundation grant, is aiding new and expecting mothers with delivering health babies by providing prenatal and smoke-free programs.
The Uncompaghre Prenatal Program provides education, referrals and access to prenatal health care to uninsured pregnant women in Montrose County.
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“Montrose has a high rate of babies being born with low birth weights,” Montrose Hilltop’s Director Kaye Hotsenpiller said.
In the 2008 Health Report Card, Colorado ranked 39th among states in both prenatal care and in low birth weight.
Smoking during pregnancy is the single most preventable cause of death and illness among infants, said Janice Ferguson, Rocky Mountain Health Plans’ perinatal care coordinator. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and low birth weight according to reports by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Soon-to-be Olathe mom Marni Brendemuhl, 35, said she didn’t think she would have quit smoking if it wasn’t for the program.
“I’ve been smoking for 25 years,” she said. “I felt guilty if I smoked, but I never tried to quit before.”
Brendemuhl found out she was pregnant just before Christmas. She entered into both programs after the holidays and had quit smoking by the end of January.
Every month she goes to the Family Planning center at Health and Human Services, where the program is held. She is required to take a breathalyzer that can detect if she has been smoking. If she passes, she gets a diaper voucher. She can continue to receive the vouchers monthly, 12 months after the baby is born.
Getting involved in the prenatal program has also been helpful for Brendemuhl.
“They really give you a lot of information on different things in the community,” she said.
Brendemuhl now has health care for her baby, as the program lead her to resources such as CHP+, the state’s child health care plan.
She also received help finding a local doctor and getting started early in caring for her new baby.
“It gets you started in the right direction so you can start seeing a doctor and getting health care,” Brendemuhl said.
In the first year of the program, Hilltop helped 167 women receive a variety of services, 121 of those were reached in their first trimester. Seventy-five Spanish-speaking women received translation services. Hotsenpiller said the program’s moms have had 43 healthy babies between the recommended weight of 5.7 pounds or above.
For more information about the Uncompahgre Prenatal Program and Smoke Free Baby, contact Anita Madrid at Family Planning at (970) 252-5000.
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