Group targets prenatal care for Hispanic women

A project developed in Columbia to help pregnant Hispanic women find prenatal care could come to Beaufort County soon with the help of the March of Dimes.

The Prenatal Care Coalition, part of Together for Beaufort, an initiative to achieve a series of economic, educational, health and environmental goals in the county by 2012, discussed the project Wednesday.

In the Columbia program, the prenatal needs of Hispanic women were assessed with a eye on developing resources to serve them. The program was funded by the March of Dimes, and project leaders are eager to see it expand to other parts of the state.

This year, the March of Dimes awarded Beaufort County a $3,000 grant to collect data on the kinds of prenatal care offered here and what is needed. It also comes with $500 to buy educational materials.

The coalition voted unanimously to focus the project on reaching out to Hispanic women.

Julie Smithwick-Leone, who led the project in Columbia, said many Hispanic women know there are resources available, but don't know how to get them.

Some educational resources translated into Spanish do not include information about who women can call, how they can get help or what to do if they don't have the right documentation. As part of her project, Smithwick-Leone developed a "Perinatal Navigation Guide" that answered those questions and walked women through the process of finding good prenatal care.

Coalition members said they are interested in developing a similar guide for Beaufort County Hispanic women.

The Columbia-based project also created a four-week prenatal course covering everything from moms maintaining healthy habits, to their rights and responsibilities when having children in the United States.

Smithwick-Leone also developed hospital support for women who have questions during doctor visits for pregnancy complications.

The final piece of the project incorporates training for providers on cultural differences and how to reach out to women in need of care.

Smithwick-Leone will attend next month's coalition meeting to share her research and help come up with ideas for the local project.

Coalition members, who represent area hospitals, health care agencies and pregnancy clinics, will bring statistics on the percentage of Hispanic women currently served, existing services and what local women need.

At Beaufort Memorial Hospital, about 28 percent of the those delivering babies are Hispanic women. It's about 30 percent at Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, said spokeswoman Kelly Presnell.

By identifying assets and documenting needs, the coalition expects to plan more effective ways to reach out to local women. It hopes the program helps prevent birth defects, premature births, infant mortality and improves the health of Beaufort County moms and their babies.