June    2 0 2 4

Doula Services at Santa Maria

Santa Maria’s Caring for Two program is growing and expanding its services thanks to the generosity of the Wellpoint Foundation.  Caring for Two improves maternal and child health outcomes for pregnant women or those with young children and their families, using an integrated team and services including parenting education and coaching, counseling and behavioral health support, health care navigation and care coordination, peer recovery support services and linkage to substance use treatment when needed. 

Currently via the generosity of the Wellpoint Foundation, Santa Maria has added Doula Services for Caring for Two participants.  By teaming up with Delighted to Doula, two Doulas are currently serving Santa Maria participants.  They provide weekly education along with overall pregnancy care including accompanying participants to pre- and post-partum healthcare visits, assisting with creating birthing plans, answering questions, and even accompanying those who need it most into the delivery room. 

By adding this valuable service for our participants Santa Maria seeks to decrease postpartum stress, extended hospitalizations and complications while increasing healthy deliveries, comfort with breastfeeding and engagement in routine postpartum doctor visits. 

Celebrating 5 Years of Partnership with Ben Taub's Maternal Perinatal Addiction Treatment Clinic

In 2019 Santa Maria forged a new partnership with Harris Health to establish the Maternal Perinatal Addiction Treament Clinc (MPAT) at Ben Taub.  This unique clinic is designed to improve health outcomes for moms and babies impacted by substance use disorder by providing integrated services delivered in a compassionate, respectful manner that centers the expectant mother as the driver of her care.  Peer Recovery Coaches and Parent Coaches from Santa Maria's Caring for Two program are integrated into the MPAT clinic team, working side by side with OB, nursing, psychiatry and social work staff to provide the best possible care. 

Our coaches help engage new patients and link them to services, and they are also able to follow families outside the clinic walls, assisting with potential barriers such as housing and transportation assistance which could otherwise impact a family's ability to maintain their appointments or treatment protocol.  Many of these families are co-enrolled with Santa Maria's residential treatment services, and the strong connection between Harris Health and Santa Maria allows for ongoing communication to improve the quality of care.  

"The MPAT Clinic collaboration has shown positive results in improving maternal and child outcomes, including increasing the number of moms who are able to go home with their baby after delivery rather than having the child enter the child welfare system.  The integrated service approacch to the MPAT Clinic is so important as moms can access multiple services in one location from a team who constantly communicates with one another.  Just as important is the way services are provided, in a warm, caring manner that values the strengths and experiences of our participants and recognizes that our participants may need support outside traditional healthcare, such as help meeting basic needs or connecting to positive support systems, in order to reach their recovery and wellness goals.  We are honored to be part of this innovative approach to prenatal care."  says Nadine Scamp LMSW, Santa Maria CEO

Santa Maria is pleased to celebrate five years of this innovative and supremely beneficial partnership.

The mission of Santa Maria is to empower women and their families to lead healthy, successful, productive and self-fulfilling lives. 

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