UWSFC and SVHsupport Provides Prenatal Outreach and Education and Home Visiting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: March 8, 2018
Contact: Abby Bordner
Cell: (505) 919-9153
Email: AbbyB@uwsfc.org

UWSFC and SVHsupport Provides Prenatal Outreach and Education and Home Visiting

UWSFC Prenatal Outreach and Education and First Born® program receives a $213,000 grant from SVHsupport to provide information, resources, and support to Santa Fe’s families.

Santa Fe, NM – United Way of Santa Fe County (UWSFC) is proud to announce the receipt of a $150,000 award from SVHsupport to provide information and resources to expecting families in Santa Fe County with the Prenatal Outreach and Education program. SVHsupport awarded another $63,000 to UWSFC’s First Born® and Home Visiting Programs to provide support to more first-time parents in Santa Fe County.

UWSFC’s Prenatal Outreach and Education program connects pregnant women and their families with resources in Santa Fe County to support them during and after their pregnancies. The program also offers free “Preparing the Way” prenatal classes covering topics such as newborn care, postpartum recovery, breastfeeding, and hospital tours, each month.

Beginning prenatally and continuing through the first three years of a baby’s life, UWSFC’s First Born® and Home Visiting Programs support first-time parents in Santa Fe County by offering weekly visits by trained professionals who offer individual and family support, guidance, and resources that promote confident, healthy, and happy families. A study published by the Rand Corporation in 2016 has shown that, during their first year of life, children are one-third less likely to visit the emergency room when families are visited by well-trained professionals, such as those at UWSFC.

SVHsupport is a locally managed nonprofit organization supporting projects that directly impact the health and wellness of the community, in complement to ongoing financial and strategic support for CHRISTUS St. Vincent. The Prenatal Outreach and Education program is intended to increase healthy births in Santa Fe County.

 “UWSFC is happy for our partnership with SVHsupport,” said Katherine Freeman, President & CEO. “Now, in its second year, I’m proud that the Prenatal and Outreach Education program has served over 130 women and their families in Santa Fe County. Last year, we served more than 200 families in our First Born® Home Visiting Program, and now we can serve many more.”

“We are proud to partner with UWSFC to provide support and expand programs that will improve the care and education for mothers and their babies in the Santa Fe Community,” says Peter F. Bastone, President and CEO, St. Vincent Hospital Support (SVHsupport). “This is the third consecutive year we have provided grant funding to UWSFC because they are having a positive, and measurable impact on the lives of children and families in our community.”

ABOUT UNITED WAY OF SANTA FE COUNTY

Early childhood education and care is the sole mission of United Way of Santa Fe County, with a commitment to ensuring that every child receives an opportunity to succeed in school and in life. UWSFC is committed to engaging the entire community, bringing together people and resources to create opportunities for children and families to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

Beginning in 2004, UWSFC has served approximately 6,000 families by using a two-generation approach, supporting both the children and families in a series of high-quality early childhood programs designed to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready to succeed.

ABOUT ST. VINCENT HOSPITAL SUPPORT (SVHsupport)

SVHsupport is a Santa Fe based nonprofit owning 50 percent of CHRISTUS St. Vincent Reginal Medical Center. In its ten-year history, SVHsupport has partnered with the international nonprofit health system, (CHRISTUS Health), to bring excellence in healthcare to Santa Fe. Along with SVHsupport’s ownership of the local community hospital, the organization serves a broader mission to improve access to quality health care and increase the overall health of our community. Since 2008, SVHsupport has provided more than $25 million of mission investments to the community by making grants to local nonprofits, making scholarships available to high school seniors pursuing healthcare related studies, and direct funding of critical programs at our local community hospital, CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.