What brought you to the organization and your current work?
I have been in this position (Interpregnancy Care coordinator in the Birth Outcomes Initiative, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals) for almost 2 years. I had the fortunate opportunity to work with New Orleans area community health and social service agencies, to help build a system for high risk women based on the successful interconception intervention at Grady Memorial Hospital.
What are you most excited about or what is your favorite aspect of your project on reproductive life planning?
I’m most excited about working with a talented and uniquely qualified advisory board to guide our project on reproductive life planning. The board consists of experts in social marketing, health education, literacy, African American fatherhood issues, social services, film, website development, and women’s health. Consumers guided the development of our 2 commercials that are now being aired.
What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge with this project?
The biggest challenges are the barriers to women seeking and/or accessing family planning services. Over half of the births in Louisiana are unintended and only 13% of women enrolled in Louisiana’s Family Planning Waiver the first year after delivering a baby, actually access these contraceptive services.
Can you share any books, articles, websites that help with your work?
Our NEW website GreatPlan.Net includes websites that offer good information about STI, Family Planning, Primary Care and other resources available in local communities across the US. We also included the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals’ Method Match tool that helps women choose a birth control method that fits their lifestyle and personal preference.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Kim Williams - Leading Change in New Orleans
What brought you to the organization and your current work?
I have been working as the Director for Healthy Start New Orleans for 9 months and I think we are on the path to a healthy new baby! I have been working in maternal and child health with social marketing and with the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office for seven years and love the world of maternal and child health. It’s been my life dream to improve outcomes for African Americans in what I consider my home state of Louisiana while trying to build on the beautiful culture and history of the state. I came to Healthy Start because it provides an opportunity for us to touch clients directly in their communities and we have a unique role in hearing the community voice to define their own resources, challenges, and asking for our clients help in defining services that work for them. I’m so excited about leading our Best Babies Zone work because it’s a “lab” for taking policy to practice to see if we can change birth outcomes by making community change.
What are you most excited about or what is your favorite aspect of your project on reproductive life planning?
I’m excited to be part of an effort to get women in my community and my state to start thinking about their reproductive health and planning for their future. For so many women here, pregnancy “just happens”. I hope that families can use our tools and services to reflect more about their goals, dreams, and their bodies and use the Life Map we provide to begin thinking about how they want their family to be shaped.
What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge with this project?
Throughout the world of maternal and child health, we need to do a better job of listening to the families we serve. Our clients tell us what their families need and oftentimes our maternal and child health priorities are not aligned with our families’ priorities. In a city with tremendous violence and a state with persistent poverty, health is not on the top of people’s lists of concerns. We have to use the tools we have and put them into context for why health matters, how it impacts all areas of your life, and how having a healthy pregnancy and baby can set your child up for a way out of poverty and violence.
Can you share any books, articles, websites that help you with your work?
Required reading for all my staff includes “The Gardener’s Tale” by Camara Jones, “Cultural Humility” by Melanie Tervalon, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Birth Outcomes: A Life-Course Perspective” by Dr. Lu.
Books That Inspire me include: Good to Great, Adaptive Leadership, The Social Entrepreneurs Handbook and Seven Tribes of Hattie- A fictional tale that tells the story of a mother from the Deep South after migrating north and a challenging life trajectory due to infant mortality
I have been working as the Director for Healthy Start New Orleans for 9 months and I think we are on the path to a healthy new baby! I have been working in maternal and child health with social marketing and with the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office for seven years and love the world of maternal and child health. It’s been my life dream to improve outcomes for African Americans in what I consider my home state of Louisiana while trying to build on the beautiful culture and history of the state. I came to Healthy Start because it provides an opportunity for us to touch clients directly in their communities and we have a unique role in hearing the community voice to define their own resources, challenges, and asking for our clients help in defining services that work for them. I’m so excited about leading our Best Babies Zone work because it’s a “lab” for taking policy to practice to see if we can change birth outcomes by making community change.
What are you most excited about or what is your favorite aspect of your project on reproductive life planning?
I’m excited to be part of an effort to get women in my community and my state to start thinking about their reproductive health and planning for their future. For so many women here, pregnancy “just happens”. I hope that families can use our tools and services to reflect more about their goals, dreams, and their bodies and use the Life Map we provide to begin thinking about how they want their family to be shaped.
What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge with this project?
Throughout the world of maternal and child health, we need to do a better job of listening to the families we serve. Our clients tell us what their families need and oftentimes our maternal and child health priorities are not aligned with our families’ priorities. In a city with tremendous violence and a state with persistent poverty, health is not on the top of people’s lists of concerns. We have to use the tools we have and put them into context for why health matters, how it impacts all areas of your life, and how having a healthy pregnancy and baby can set your child up for a way out of poverty and violence.
Can you share any books, articles, websites that help you with your work?
Required reading for all my staff includes “The Gardener’s Tale” by Camara Jones, “Cultural Humility” by Melanie Tervalon, “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Birth Outcomes: A Life-Course Perspective” by Dr. Lu.
Books That Inspire me include: Good to Great, Adaptive Leadership, The Social Entrepreneurs Handbook and Seven Tribes of Hattie- A fictional tale that tells the story of a mother from the Deep South after migrating north and a challenging life trajectory due to infant mortality
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Run On
I was not athletic during the first few decades of my life. However, as I embraced my fourth decade I discovered that I love to run. It helps get rid of stress, gets me outside, gives me time to think and keeps me healthy. Over the past year, I've worked on running faster and further. In that process, I have learned that what I love most about this sport is running with other people. For a sport that is often perceived as solitary, there is actually a lot of solidarity and community among runners. Whether you are a beginner runner working up to a 10 minute jog or someone who can run for hours, we are all more likely to put on those sneakers if we have a friend waiting to go with us. My world has wonderfully expanded to include the amazing women I've met on this journey. This support is magnified during races - from one mile fun runs to full marathons - fans made up of family, friends and kind strangers create the adreneline to push oneself beyond expectations. Really, how many times in life do you have people clapping for you, cheering and telling you "You Have This....Looking Strong!"? As I, like so many others, have struggled to understand what happened in Boston earlier this week, I've decided that the message that I want to perpetuate is that of community. Belonging is essential. Being together is necessary. Finding our common hopes and dreams creates understanding. Having gratitude for those who cheer us on and bring water to keep us safe is a blessing. Running...is beautiful. ** Sarah Verbiest
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| My "Cape Girls" Running Group Finishing our 200th Mile of the Palmetto200 in South Carolina. |
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