The Little Miracles program at Shands Jacksonville is hosting a citywide baby shower on Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to noon in the atrium of the Health Science Center. A record 800 guests attended the last shower held in August. Mothers-to-be can take advantage of free health screenings, wellness tips and information about the program, which was established in 2000 to decrease the incidence of infant mortality.
Duval County’s infant mortality rate exceeds that of the entire state of Florida as well as many Third World countries. The death rate for African-American infants has increased by more than 50 percent in the past four years. In fact, five Jacksonville north side zip codes account for nearly 60 percent of infant deaths in African-American babies. Lifestyle, poor nutrition and late or no prenatal care often lead to unfortunate outcomes. Many moms-to-be are not aware that prenatal care is a necessity to deliver a healthy baby or do not know where to turn for help.
The Little Miracles program seeks out mothers in the community who are in need of medical care, nutritional guidance, insurance information and pregnancy education. “The ultimate challenge for our staff is ensuring that all prenatal appointments are kept,” says Donna Ghanayem, RNC, a program representative. As a result, an incentive-based rewards program was created to validate coupons for each completed appointment. These coupons are entered into monthly drawings for much-needed baby items such as strollers, car seats and diapers.
Without the intervention of Little Miracles, many high-risk mothers kept only three to four prenatal appointments, and many of those did not start until the third trimester. Now, participants have scheduled and held at least eight appointments, with many beginning as early as five or six weeks into the first trimester.
Please call in advance if you wish to cover this event. All media should contact Donna Ghanayem at 393-0622 on the day of the baby shower.