By The Village South Staff
March 2021 marked one year since The Village South’s Healthy Start program adapted its service delivery from in-home visits to telehealth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep the care of the pregnant/postpartum women and infants that they serve as their top priority, Program Director for Healthy Start, Pam Ungvary, and her team worked diligently to not only adapt to new guidelines, but also expand mental health services. The team continued to collect and distribute much-needed baby supplies to mothers in need during this challenging time.
Since shifting to telehealth, the program has received significant positive feedback from clients. Many mothers have welcomed the change because of their concern with having visitors in their homes. Virtual sessions have increased flexibility to reschedule, allowing services to continue with limited disruption.
The success of this new service model has doubled the program’s enrollment as the staff does not need to travel between sessions and can meet with more mothers per day.
Additionally, the program has expanded its psychosocial counseling services with clients who have expressed greater mental health needs due to the pandemic. To accommodate the increased capacity and expansion of services, the program has hired additional staff to offer more education and support to mothers and infants.
As we continue into year two of the pandemic, we are both hopeful and optimistic about what the future holds! Our staff and community partners continue to work together to ensure that happier and healthier babies are born within our community regardless of the current limitations and changes.
For additional information on the program, or ways that you can assist us in Uplifting the Human Spirt by giving babies a Healthy Start, please contact Pam Ungvary, Program Director for Healthy Start, by sending an email to: pam.ungvary@westcare.com.
