**I put an incorrect date in this post. The One By One ministry, which reaches out to under-resourced mothers, kicks off at 2PC on September 17th.**
The Urban Child Institute just put out a new brief about infant and child health in Tennessee, breaking up the data into the three grand regions of Tennessee. It comes as little surprise to Tennesseans that West TN ranks lowest in all categories of infant and child health. You don't have to be a social worker to understand the implications this has on our region socially and economically. We can talk all day about health care reform, individual vs. social responsibility, etc. until we are blue in the face, but I feel that these numbers demand action.
Okay, so what can we do? Here is social worker Megan's take on what we can do:
1) Take very, very good care of your own little ones (obviously).
2) Support government programs that help with health and nutrition of children in the first five years of life. Federally we have WIC, TANF, and Head Start. Locally, there is a Shelby County Office for Infant Mortality. Memphians - we are about to have a mayoral election. Find out what the candidates' views are on this subject and what they plan to do about it as mayor.
3) Give your money and your time to organizations that serve the health and nutrition needs of children in the first five years of life. We have the Food Bank, the Church Health Center, Christ Community Health Care, the Urban Child Institute, and many more local agencies that you can support.
4) Become personally invested in the cause. My church is about to start a new program that can help you do just that! The new program kicks off Monday, August 17th with an informational dinner meeting. It is a mentoring program for new mothers (both currently pregnant and with little ones) who are in the at-risk demographic for infant mortality. The mentors develop a relationship with the new moms and help provide support as they raise their babies. Although I am only 15 weeks pregnant myself with my first child, I am going to participate in this program. I spoke with one of the ladies heading up the program, and she thought that I could help come alongside a woman who is also having her first baby, and we could walk through this journey together.
If you read the brief, are moved by it as I was, and want to know what you can actually do to help, I would be more than happy to talk with you about options for involvement. What is that overused quote? "Be the change you want to see in the world" or something like that... I am a firm believer in the monumental effect one person can have on their environment.
2 comments:
I didn't know that Second was doing this. It sounds like a great idea.
Yes, it's called One by One, and it's a new program that Carrie Moore is heading up. An email went out about it a little while ago, and the only reason I know about the info dinner is because I asked one of the WIM coordinators about it. Hopefully they will get more info out soon!
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