Submitted by: Herb Schmidt, D5580 Foundation Chair
April is Rotary’s Maternal and Child Care month. Our district has a great Maternal and Child Care project in progress. Global Grant 1980712, Prenatal Care for Indigenous Women, was approved by The Rotary Foundation 04-26-2019. Because of covid, all programs that were just getting started within this project in 2019-20 had to close down. These programs to provide education and educational materials, social interaction, and mentoring contacts for indigenous women are now being re-initiated.
Alicia Belay, amh.belay@gmail.com ,is the lead on this project. Alicia is a former Rotary Global Scholar and is now Assistant Director, Health Equity Office for the ND Department of Health. Alicia is being assisted by Julia Wilson-Peltier, Julia.m.wilson@und.edu . Julia is a doctoral student at the University of ND in the Indigenous Health program within the School of Medicene and Health Sciences at UND. Thanks to Julia for putting most of the following update information together.
Currently five tribes from this region are participating in this project.
MHA Nation
The Mandan Hidatsa Arikara (MHA) Nation is holding a virtual prenatal bingo event on April 9, 2022. They are giving event participants bingo bags prior to the event, that include maternity supplies, and pamphlets/flyers of community services/programs of interest for pregnant community members. The Bingo games will include prenatal educational information and trivia. Bingo prizes include strollers, car seats, baby supplies, star quilt bags, and a grand prize of a baby star quilt. Once the first bingo event is complete, they will be assessing the event successes/challenges, and adapting the next community prenatal event accordingly. Originally, the bingo event was going to be in person in February, however due to the Omnicron COVID surge, the health director of Elbowoods Memorial Health Center decided it was not a good idea to have pregnant mothers gathering in person. Depending on the pandemic circumstances, the next event may be held in person instead of virtually.
Santee Sioux
The Santee Sioux site had their first prenatal care class on January 25,, 2022. The first prenatal class went great. For their cradle board making class (which is held every Wednesday evening from 4:30-6:30pm in the basement of their health clinic), there are 17 mothers and fathers registered. During their first cradle board making class on January 26, 2022, some of the parents designed their cradle board on paper. On 3/1/22, they had another cradleboard making class in which a healthy meal was served, and the families began sanding down their boards
Spirit Lake
Angela Cross is the Spirit Lake Prenatal Advocate. She has a working phone number for her position, an email , and a facebook page. We are working on an informational binder for the participants involved in the advocate program.
St. Vincents Hospital
-Since the group prenatal care program was implemented at St. Vincents hospital in Billings, Montana, approximately 100 people have been served in their program. They have been receiving positive feedback from women on enjoying the prenatal group time, along with the extra attention and time from health care providers. They conduct several groups each week The Nursing Director of Womens Services indicated they held 3 groups during the week of 2/16/22. It is difficult for this site to keep track of birth outcomes, as many women in the program birth in several other locations not all within St. Vincents. St. Vincents is planning to implement group care at their satellite clinic on the Northern Sheyenne reservation this fall.
White Earth
Thw White Earth program is just starting up. Four moms with a couple kids attended the first meeting. It was a nutrition focused meeting with a WIC nutritionist who made a wild rice soup for lunch.
People are working from home again but things are settling down now and going to check to see if they can plan something in April.
The Indigenous Bill of Birthing Rights is a document put together by an advocacy group with the help of this project. When fully completed and approved it will be sent to the project sites and distributed to the various health care facilities. The purpose is to help assure indigenous women of their right to culturally relevant, affordable and informed health care.
Please keep the Mother and Child Care area of focus in your plans as you consider your gift(s) to the Rotary Foundation and possible projects in your communities.