Maternal & Family Health Services Inc

WE ARE AN INNOVATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY THROUGH INFORMATION, EDUCATION AND QUALITY CARE. OUR CORE VALUES ARE COMMITMENT TO QUALITY IN OUR WORK AND TO THE PEOPLE WE SERVE, ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS AND OUR DEMAEANOR, RESPECT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHIN OUR AGENCY AND THE COMMUNITY, EXCELLANCE IN PERFORMANCE AND SERVICE.

WIC NUTRITION PROGRAMTHE WIC NUTRITION PROGRAM HELPS IMPROVE THE LIVES OF AT-RISK WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES IN 17 PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES BY PROMOTING GOOD NUTRITION HABITS. THROUGH NUTRITION COUNSELING, ELECTRONIC WIC (EWIC) BENEFITS TO PURCHASE HEALTHY FOODS, AND BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT, WE ARE FOSTERING HEALTHIER PREGNANCIES, HEALTHIER BIRTH OUTCOMES, BETTER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN, AND A REDUCTION IN CHILDHOOD OBESITY. THE SCIENTIFICALLY BASED WIC FOOD PACKAGE REINFORCES THE NUTRITION EDUCATION PROVIDED BY WIC NUTRITIONISTS AND PROVIDES PARTICIPANTS WITH SUPPLEMENTAL FOODS ESSENTIAL FOR HEALTHY GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT DURING PREGNANCY, INFANCY, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD. RESEARCH DEMONSTRATES THAT WIC PARTICIPATION RESULTS IN IMPROVED COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, REDUCED RATES OF ANEMIA, IMPROVED ACCESS TO HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES, AND IMPROVED IMMUNIZATION RATES. A RECENT STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (JAMA), FOUND THAT WIC PARTICIPATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER PRETERM BIRTH AND INFANT MORTALITY. SPECIFICALLY, THE STUDY FOUND THAT BABIES BORN TO WIC PARTICIPANTS ARE 33 PERCENT LESS LIKELY TO DIE IN THE FIRST YEAR OF LIFE.WIC ACTIVELY PROMOTES BREASTFEEDING AS THE OPTIMAL CHOICE FOR INFANT FEEDING AND PROVIDES SUPPORT SERVICES AND RESOURCES TO BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS. NUTRITIONISTS ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT A MOTHER'S DECISION TO BREASTFEED BY PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE MANY BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING, RESOURCES THAT LEAD TO SUCCESSFUL BREASTFEEDING, AND ACCESS TO BREAST PUMPS IF NEEDED. THE MFHS BREASTFEEDING PEER COUNSELOR PROGRAM HELPS IMPROVE BREASTFEEDING RATES BY PAIRING NEW MOMS WITH LOCAL MOTHERS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN WIC TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, SUPPORT, AND SERVE AS A ROLE-MODEL. WITH THE HELP OF MOTHERS WHO HAVE BREASTFED FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS, NEW MOMS ARE SHOWN HOW VALUABLE BREASTFEEDING CAN BE TO THEM AND THEIR BABY'S HEALTH, NUTRITION, AND EMOTIONAL STATE.IN 2022, A TOTAL OF 72,756 UNDUPLICATED PARTICIPANTS WERE SERVED BY THE WIC PROGRAM AT 32 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT 17 PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES IN THE MFHS SERVICE NETWORK MFHS. AN AVERAGE OF 43,904 WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN RECEIVED WIC BENEFITS EACH MONTH.OVER $35.6 MILLION IN ANNUAL GROSS SALES WERE GENERATED FROM REDEEMED WIC BENEFITS AT 396 RETAIL GROCERY STORES IN THE MFHS 17-COUNTY WIC NETWORK.APPROXIMATELY 68 PERCENT OF NEW MOTHERS ENROLLED IN MFHS WIC BREASTFED FOR AN AVERAGE OF 15.4 WEEKS IN 2022.

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICESPUBLICLY FUNDED FAMILY PLANNING IS ONE OF THE MANY CORNERSTONES OF THE LARGER PUBLIC HEALTH SAFETY-NET SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN BUILT TO SERVE LOW-INCOME WOMEN AND MEN. IN ADDITION TO TITLE X, SEVERAL OTHER DISCRETIONARY FUNDING PROGRAMS SUPPORT PUBLICLY FUNDED FAMILY PLANNING CENTERS' ABILITY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL STD PREVENTION, TESTING, AND TREATMENT; VITAL BREAST AND CERVICAL EXAMS, AND PRE- AND POST- NATAL CARE, INCLUDING SUPPLEMENTARY FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES.WE BELIEVE EVERY PERSON, REGARDLESS OF AGE, INSURANCE STATUS, OR ABILITY TO PAY, SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS QUALITY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE. MFHS OFFERS ACCESSIBLE, CONFIDENTIAL FAMILY PLANNING AND RELATED PREVENTIVE CARE TO WOMEN, MEN, AND TEENS IN 15 PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES. THROUGH TITLE X OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT, WE PRIORITIZE THE NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME AND UNINSURED WOMEN, MEN, AND TEENS BY OFFERING FREE OR AFFORDABLE CARE THROUGH OUR DIRECT SERVICES AND A DIVERSE NETWORK OF CONTRACTORS. IN 2022, 15,103 WOMEN, MEN AND TEENS IN OUR NETWORK RECEIVED REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES AND WERE COUNSELED ON THEIR CONTRACEPTION OPTIONS, AVOIDING 2,760 UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES. IN ADDITION, 18,491 STD TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED TO PENNSYLVANIA WOMEN, MEN, AND TEENS, AVOIDING 140 CASES OF CHLAMYDIA AND 30 CASES OF GONORRHEA. *SOURCE: GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE.THE MFHS SAFETEENS INITIATIVE, THROUGH A WEBSITE, TEXT LINE AND HOTLINE, PROVIDES ADOLESCENTS ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA WITH THE KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO PREVENT UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES AND MAKE INFORMED, HEALTHY CHOICES ABOUT THEIR FUTURES. MFHS CONTINUES TO OFFER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION TO AT-RISK TEENS THROUGH SUCH PROGRAMS AS SAFESPACE, IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND INTERMEDIATE UNITS.IN 2022, APPROXIMATELY 25,000 ADOLESCENTS SOUGHT INFORMATION ON SAFETEENS.ORG, WHILE SAFETEENS ANSWERS! HEALTH EDUCATORS RESPONDED TO 419 TEXT MESSAGE QUESTIONS. IN ADDITION, 108 TEENS WERE PROVIDED WITH IN-PERSON EDUCATION ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH THROUGH THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY EDUCATION PROGRAM AND THE SAFESPACE HEALTH RESOURCE CENTERS IN LACKAWANNA COUNTY AND 1,612 YOUTH PARTICIPATED IN SUCH OUTREACH EVENTS AS HEALTH FAIRS AND GROUP EDUCATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE ABOVE RESOURCES.

NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIPTHE MFHS NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP (MFHS-NFP) EMPOWERS PREGNANT MOTHERS TO DEVELOP CRITICAL PARENTING SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE THROUGH THE GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT OF HIGHLY TRAINED NURSE HOME-VISITORS. WITH FUNDING FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EARLY LEARNING, WE PARTNER AT-RISK MOMS, MANY OF WHOM ARE TEENS, WITH VISITING NURSES WHO PROVIDE HEALTH, PLANNING, AND GOAL-SETTING EDUCATION. THROUGH THIS EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAM, PARENTS ARE ABLE TO LEARN HOW TO BUILD HEALTHY FAMILIES FOR A LIFETIME OF HEALTH AND ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY.MFHS-NFP PROVIDES THE TRADITIONAL NFP PROGRAM TO FIRST-TIME MOTHERS, BUT ALSO INCLUDES AN AUXILIARY SERVICE LINE - NFPX. THIS PROGRAM ENROLLS PREGNANT MOTHERS WHO HAVE HAD CHILDREN PREVIOUSLY. FOR 2022, 76 MOTHERS WERE PROVIDED SERVICES THROUGH NFPX.IN 2022, IN TOTAL, 399 AT-RISK MOTHERS RECEIVED HOME HEALTH EDUCATION AND SUPPORT THROUGH 4,647 COMPLETED HOME-VISITS; 70% WERE COMPLETED VIA TELEHEALTH/TELECONFERENCE AND 30% WERE IN-PERSON VISITATION WHICH CONTINUES TO INCREASE POST-PANDEMIC.ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN (111) BABIES WERE BORN INTO THE PROGRAM IN 2022, EACH LESS LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE ABUSE OR NEGLECT, LANGUAGE DELAYS, AND BEHAVIORAL AND INTELLECTUAL PROBLEMS. MFHS-NFP RECEIVED FUNDING TO PROVIDE AN ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM FOR NFP MOTHERS - MOVING BEYOND DEPRESSION (MBD). THIS PROGRAM IS A FREE, VOLUNTARY IN-HOME PROGRAM FOR ELIGIBLE MFHS-NFP MOTHERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING DEPRESSION.