Posted: 3/9/2021
The Hamon Charitable Foundation has made a $1 million gift to support a new program at Parkland Health & Hospital System designed to reduce the alarming maternal mortality rates in vulnerable areas of Dallas County. The gift provides funding for the first year of the Extending Maternal Care After Pregnancy (eMCAP) program that launched in October 2020.
“We are pleased to continue the Foundation’s alignment with Parkland, and we recognize the immediate need for the maternal services the eMCAP program provides,” said Kelly Roach, president of Hamon Charitable Foundation.
According to a 2018 Texas Health and Human Services report by the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force, 62% of maternal mortality cases across the state from 2012 to 2015 occurred between six weeks and one year after delivery. The eMCAP program addresses and reframes the focus of maternal and fetal care not only at delivery but throughout the first year postpartum, focusing on a geographic area of Dallas County that has significant needs and, in some cases, has become a healthcare desert.
“Our approach involves both care coordination beginning at the hospital and discharge following delivery,” said David B. Nelson, MD, chief of obstetrics and chief maternal medical director at Parkland and assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Rather than asking patients to come to us, we are going to them. A team of care coordinators, nurse navigators and community health workers are providing a bridge of access to care for the full year following delivery.”
“This program benefits women in the transition to ongoing healthcare,” added Marjorie Quint-Bouzid, senior vice president of Women & Infants Specialty Health at Parkland. “For those with chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, follow up and ongoing coordination of care has an important impact on the woman, on her newborn child, and on the health of the entire community.”
Patients who have already benefited from the eMCAP program include:
• A 39-year old mother with congenital hearing loss whose hearing aid had broken and wasn’t able to hear her newborn infant’s cry. Parkland’s team arranged for a hearing aid replacement and scheduled an appointment with Parkland’s Ear/Nose/Throat clinic for an evaluation.
• A 22-year-old mother facing eviction who was connected with Dallas Healthy Start for assistance with resources.
• A 30-year-old mother who had experienced severe eclampsia is receiving follow-up medication and monitoring to control her high blood pressure.
Thanks to Hamon Charitable Foundation and other generous donors, the eMCAP program has already enrolled 304 families, completed 238 maternal home visits and 221 infant home visits as of Jan. 26. All visits have been conducted virtually to date and will continue to be until it is safe to do otherwise. The goal is to continue enrolling 100 new families each month for a total enrollment of 1,200 each year.
“We are grateful to the Hamon Charitable Foundation for their generous support of Parkland, our patients and our mission to create a healthy community,” said Michael A. Horne, EdD, MPP, president and CEO of Parkland Foundation. “This generous donation will help promote greater health equity in Dallas County; providing women the healthcare services they need after childbirth to address complications before they become fatal.”
For more information on Parkland services, please visit www.parklandhospital.com. If you would like to make a donation to support essential programs at Parkland, please visit www.parklandfoundation.org