HFI Newsletter Spring 2009

8/14/2019 HFI Newsletter Spring 2009

1/8

HEALTHY

Family Initiatives

Primary Prevention Perspectives | Spring 2009

Healthy Family Initiatives leads communities in developing solutions to eradicate child abuse and neglect.

on how the moms and dads are putting

their lessons into practice ever da.

Adriana confesses that distilling life into a

series of routines strikes her as boring, but

she concedes the need for organization.

She and Alan discuss how there balanc-

ing the demands of child care, jobs and

homework, and describe a spat the had

when communication broke down.

Different techniques are discussed

to point out the discipline and organiza-

tion so needed as a working parent. One

technique used b program directors is

illustrating expectations through interest-

related examples, like sports. Parents

often have to visualize several outcomes

in advance much like a soccer or basket-

ball plaer does during a game.

The class is also guided to adjust expec-

tations when unforeseen circumstances

interfere as well as to set realistic goals

and prioritize. For example, Emerson sas

hes learning to budget his time: More

diapers means fewer video games.

One specic program model is never

enough; one size never ts all. There are

man forms fatherhood can take, which

an effective program must take into ac-

count. Needs for teen fathers differ from

those of their twent-something coun-terparts, or a divorced weekend dad, or a

step father.

The lessons appear to sink in and a

record of success sas the do. Health

families are intact families.And families

remain tgether when the partners put

in the pratie t build and maintain

healthy relatinships.HFI

With A Baby At Home,Young Couples Add WorkTo Their HomeworkAlan Nava and Adriana Rojas snuggle on

the couch. Holding hands, touching knees,

the look like a million other teenaged

couples. The might at an moment burst

out in When you Look Me in the Ees.

Except that Alan and Adriana also have

ees for Alan, their 3-month-old son.

Alan and Adriana have come to the

comfortable parlor on the second oor at

Lee High School to attend the HFI young

Couples Group for student-parents. Each

meets with a group of other teen moms or

dads as well. Those couples in which both

partners are enrolled at Lee attend the

couples group also.

AdrianaandA

lanshareasto

ryaboutthe

difcultiesof

balancingafa

milywithscho

ol

andwork.

On another couch, facing Alan and

Adriana across a coffee table, sit Emerson

Mejicana and Tahs Diaz. A bit less demon-

strative, the nonetheless look equall

committed. However, the are teenagers,

and introducing a child into a high-school

romance does not guarantee a future

together. In fact, it ma make it less likel.

Statistis indiate that 80 perent f

unmarried teen uples are tgether

when their hild is brn and 15 t 20

perent remain in the relatinship n

the babys rst birthday. Doula Program

Director Marisa Pena Alfaro sas that in

her experience, something less than 80

percent remain committed to each other

at the birth, but that the 15-to-20 percent

range rings true at one ear.

HFIs program directors guide the

oung moms through their pregnanc

and childbirth classes, and the oung

expectant dads break out into their own

D.A.D.s program classes. The team up

again for the couples group. Here, the

lessons learned in the compan of other

moms or dads where questions ow

more freel are examined in a context

in which the partners can interact and

explore personal approaches.

The have been given a worksheetfor homework that instructs them to

list his core concerns and her core

concerns followed b Our general

agreement that meets BOTH our core

concerns. Then comes a chart asking

for more detail, with boxes for who will

do what when where and how.

The program leaders guide their oung

charges through examples of couples who

have preceded them, and elicit responses


2/8

Healthy Family Initiatives

2009 HFI BoARD oF DIREcToRSTHE HONORABLE GEERT C. VISSER, ING.ChairmanConsul of The NetherlandsPresidentGlobal Marine Transport

JOHN F. CHIRICHIGNOTreasurerFinancial AdvisorAssistant Vice President InvestmentsWachovia Securities, LLC

ELAINE S. MCANELLy, J.D.SecretarVice PresidentAssistant General CounselJP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.

PATRICK J. KILEyPast ChairmanPrincipalKile Advisors

SHESHE TAyLOR EVANS, J.D.Legge, Farrow, Kimmitt, McGrath & Brown

MARJORIE FOWLERCommunit VolunteerPrincipalProclaim Public Relations

ASHLEy T. HARLANCommunit Volunteer

W. ROBERT HOUSTON, PH.D.Executive Director and ProfessorInstitute of Urban EducationCollege of EducationUniversit of Houston

STEVE MORIARTyAssistant DirectorProjects Business UnitWilson-Mohr, Inc.

THE HONORABLE LINDA MOTHERALCommunit VolunteerRetired Famil Law Judge, District 257

SUSAN SAMPLE, J.D.Liaison, Junior League of Houston

ROSIE VALADEZMCSTAy, MPHDirector, Government & Communit RelationsTexas Children's Hospital

ADVISoRY BoARD oF DIREcToRS

ROSANNE DICKSONCommunit Volunteer

W. DAVID HANKSHFI Campaign ChairmanRetired, President & CEORiviana Foods, Inc.

PATRICK LEUNG, PH.D.ProfessorGraduate School of Social WorkUniversit of Houston

MICHELLE V. ANDERSON LyN, M.D.Pediatric Emergenc MedicineTexas Children's Hospital

KENNETH SPALDING

Communit VolunteerRetired, Shell Oil Compan

Presidents LetterThe 111th Congress and the 81st Texas leg-

islative sessions are in progress. With the

economic down-

turn, we should

all be wonderinghow children are

being affected b

our public polic

processes. The

American Acad-

em of Pediatrics

notes that It is

clear that the cur-

rent situation is having a major impact on

adults throughout the United States and

abroad. The effect that it ma have on chil-

dren and adolescents is less obvious, but

it is something that parents and pediatri-

cians can address. According to a Januar

(2009) COUNTRy Famil Finances surve,

compiled b Rasmussen Reports, LLC and

based on a national telephone surve of

nearl 1,200 Americans who currentl have

children at home, three in four Americans

admit the economic downturn is heaping

more stress on their famil and one-third

sa it has sparked more arguments with

their spouse or children. Childrens mental

health, chronic medical conditions, access

to health and child care should all be of

concern to our societ.

Voices for Americas Children, the

national advocac group indicates that

Budgets are the single-best indicator of

a governments priorities. Large increases

or drastic cuts in funding for programs or

other services for kids are clear indicators of

what policmakers value. All states depend

on federal funding to provide vital children

services from education to child care to nu-

trition assistance, which means that budget

decisions made at the federal level can have

a big impact on state and local programs.Texas has alread lived through one

recent cut in funding for activities that

prevent poor child outcomes several ses-

sions ago.

The Childrens Leadership Council is a

coalition of child advocates representing

36 leading national polic and advocac

organizations who are working to improve

the health, education and well-being of

children and outh in order to prepare

them for school, work and life. It bases its

current public polic agenda on the prem-

ise that investing in children and outh

is investing in America. B making all of our

children from birth to oung adulthood a priorit, we strengthen our countr

and secure everones future.

A recent editorial in the Miami Herald

makes the point that, While policmakers

on both sides of the political aisle debate

a potential economic stimulus package

that throws lifelines to major industries

and emplos legions of citizens to build

bridges, repair roads and develop alter-

native sources of energ, the also must

invest in programs and services that put

people to work safeguarding, educating

and developing our children and outh.

Investing in children provides short-term

economic stimulus with lasting impact.

on average, a $1 investment in qualit

earl care and education provides between

$4 and $8 in reduced costs associated with

such social outcomes as lower rates of

grade retention, special education place-

ment, adolescent pregnanc, drug use and

criminal activit at the high end this is a

17-percent return on investment.

In these tough times, lets not pull the rug

out from under our future. Lets make sure

we let our legislators know that we value

our children, and that an ounce of preven-

tion is the stimulus we reall need. HFI

Marianne L. Ehrlich

President & CEO

Pverty and nanial stress. The two

leading causes of child abuse and neglect

are more widespread during a recession.

N jb, n health are. Uninsured parents

are more likel to dela medical care for

their children, which can result in beingaccused of medical neglect.

Redued supervisin. Financiall unstable

parents often have less time to watch

their children, leading to more reports of

inadequate guardianship.

Gvernments rle. Fiscal woes often

result in cuts to child abuse prevention

programs.1

1Some Attribute Child Abuse Spike To Recession,

b Michael Amon, [email protected]


3/8

www.hfihouston.or

long-term interactions with them from

annual incomes of about $13,000 to an aver-

age of $32,000 in annual income.

Education for parents matters. Almst

ne-third f U.S. parents have a surpris-

ingly lw-level knwledge f infantdevelpment and unrealisti expetatins

fr their hilds physial, sial and em-

tinal grwth. An astonishing number of

parents are unsure of what to anticipate

as their child develops, said Dr. Heather

Paradis, a pediatric fellow at the Univer-

sit of Rochester Medical Center, which

conducted a stud on parental knowledge.

Some parents expect too much of babies

too soon and grow frustrated.

Among the causes and risk factors for

parents are immaturit and unrealistic

expectations, unmet emotional needs,

the stresses of child care, economic crisis,

domestic violence, lack of parenting knowl-

edge, difcult in relationships, depression

or other mental health problems and drug

or alcohol problems. Proven intervention

solutions are available. With the coming of

Child Abuse Prevention Month, isnt it time

to redouble our efforts to create the re-

sources? Precious lives are at stake, as much

so in cases that dont make headlines. HFI

Abuse Cases HighlightNeed For ActionThe case of Bab Grace in Galveston

grabbed the headlines, and little wonder.

In a four-hour videotaped statement,

the 2-ear-old girls mother admitted towhipping her with a belt and helping to

dunk her head repeatedl in a bathtub of

cold water. The three skull fractures that

resulted in death occurred, she said, when

the stepfather threw the child across the

room because she wasnt minding.

Other Texas cases ma seem less sensa-

tional but the are no less horrible for the

victims. In recent das:

>>A Tler mother and her bofriend

were charged with manslaughter

after the womans 9-month-old son

drowned when he was left unat-

tended in a bathtub.

>>In Dallas, the mother of a 9-ear-old

diabetic who died as she la beside a

bag of cand was accused of helping

cause her death b failing to help the

girl manage the disease, including

giving her high-glucose foods.

>>Prosecutors said an 8-ear-old Gon-

zales girl who weighed 45 pounds

starved to death in the hands of her

adoptive parents when she could no

longer get enough food b stealing

from classmates and eating out

of trash cans. A medical examinertestied that the girl could have

died from malnutrition, blunt force

trauma to the head or a combination

of the two.

>>An Alvin man told Philadelphia police

he stomped his 3-month-old son to

death to stop him from cring.

>>A Brownsville woman whose new-

born daughter was found dead and

stuffed in a suitcase pleaded guilt

to a charge of injur to a child.

>>In Gainesville, the bofriend of a wom-

an whose four children were burned

with sulfuric acid turned himself in at

the Cooke Count Sheriffs Ofce.

This partial list notabl leaves out casesof neglect that resulted in a childs injur

or illness. As Child Abuse Prevention Month

arrives, we pause to reect that while

we cannot make denitive judgments on

individual cases, much damage caused b

abuse and neglect is preventable. Most

instances of child abuse are not caused

b inherentl violent or evil people, but b

parents who are unable to cope with their

temper in a time of crisis.

The best wa to prevent child abuse and

neglect is to support families and provide

parents with the skills and resources the

need. Researh demnstrates that inter-

ventin befre abuse ever urs wrks

in measurable ways.Supporting families

to learn to nd and access resources helps

them become more self-sufcient. Guiding

them in effective parenting and teaching

parents to understand child development

and then to adopt reasonable expectations

for childrens behavior produces long term

positive results.

The ke is to address the needs of the

entire famil unit. For example, while not

an exclusive condition for occurrence,

research has demonstrated that povert is

directl related to child abuse and neglect.Sixt percent of the nearl 29,000 children

in foster care in Texas in 2007 came from

families with annual earnings of $10,000 or

less. Intensive hme visitatin prgrams

nt nly imprve parenting, but help

parents t establish and ahieve persnal

gals. In the Health Families Houston

program, families improved their economic

situation as well as their parenting skills,

moving over the course of our intensive,

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Make

a difference in a childs life by supporting the

efforts of Healthy Family Initiatives.

Stop Child Abuse specialtylicense plate now on saleat www.texasonline.com.

A percentage o each platesale will go to the TexasCouncil o Child WelareBoards and to the childwelare board in the countyo sale.


4/8


Its here! Visit HFIs new website at www.hfihouston.org.

Around HFIs Board TableGeert C. Visser, ing, president of Houston-

based Global Marine Transport Inc. , has

been elected chairman of the board of

directors of Health Famil Initiatives.

Geert joined the board in Januar 2007.

The father of three bos, now grown,

Geert has long had an interest in chil-

drens issues.

I feel a personal commitment to kids,

and to making positive change in our

communit. I came to know HFI, and I

know it to be an organization that works

hard, is well run, and has tested outcome

programs with great impact on childrens

lives. Kids who otherwise likel dont have

a safe environment and a foundation

that allows them to shine. At HFI we call

it Prevention the power of prevention

and what it can do for families. I am proud

to be connected to it and now, to be its

chairman. I hope to further the mission b

PastHFIBoard ChairmanPat Kiley(right)welcomesincomingChairmanGeert C. Visser(left).

doing a good job leading and growing this

well respected board.

At the Januar annual meeting, Geert

expressed his deep appreciation to Pat

Kile, outgoing chairman, for his dedicated

service to HFI and wisdom of leadership

over the past three ears.

A native of The Netherlands who has

lived in the Houston area 30 ears, Visser

was appointed Consul of The Netherlands

for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in 2003.

He is a member of the American Societ of

Petroleum Engineers. He and his wife live

in The Woodlands. HFI

Heartbeat O A HealthyFamily Major GitsCampaignUncertain times, with grave national

and global economic concerns, have

prompted Health Famil Initiatives to

considerable deliberation about our

Major Gifts Campaign.

In light of this deliberation, the HFI

board has decided to continue cultiva-

tion with sensitivit to the generalphilanthropic environment.

When the econom is down, it is a

known fact that the rate of child abuse

and neglect often goes up. The additional

stresses, especiall in vulnerable families,

become an insurmountable challenge.

The need for famil support and preven-

tion programs becomes even greater.

The rst good news is that during these

difcult times HFI can continue to make

a difference in the lives of children and their

families with our continued support.

The second good news is that to date,

our Heartbeat of a Health Famil Major

Gifts Campaign has alread raised almost

one-fourth of our goal to support awareness

about the challenges of abuse and neglect

through our pledges and gifts. We are expe-

riencing that people of generous hearts will

still want to invest in a worth cause.

We know we cannot hesitate to askfor our help, for the proceeds of our

campaign support proven and vital com-

ponents that will change the communits

understanding about the value of preven-

tion, will facilitate broad dissemination of

earl prevention programs and will help

focus efforts on improving child protec-

tive public polic.

And so we encourage ou to please

consider making that gift or lling out

a pledge card, helping us move forward

toward our goal of $1 million.

The impact we can make together, the

success our gifts bring to the long term

life outcomes of a greater number of

families at risk lead us to feel condent in

extending our ask to ou. Please remem-

ber us and help support this rst cam-

paign a campaign that will help protect

the children in our communit. your gift

lasts a lifetime for our children!Thank ou for our support of our

campaign. If ou have questions, please

contact our development ofce at

713-270-8849 ext. 226. HFI


5/8

www.hfihouston.or

Helping First-Time MothersA Joy For Delores HamiltonWho better to coordinate the Texas Nurse

Famil Partnership program in Houstonthan an experienced womens health

nurse? Delores Hamilton, RN, BSN, begins

her job as project coordinator with her

ees wide open.

Some of the moms see this bab as

ruining their lives and some see it like

having a doll to pla with, she sas. Still

others are angr and often the oung

woman is living with a grandparent, a

sister or a bofriend because the parents

have turned her out of their home.

Delores saw all the problems while

working in a hospital. Now she sees rea-

son for hope.

The teen moms and oung single moth-

ers coming into the hospital to have their

babies knew absolutel nothing, she sas.

We had a lot of teaching to pack into the

two das the would be in the hospital!

When I learned about this program, I

thought, Wow! A program that will teach

these oung women beforehand!

NFP nurses will work with a low-

income, rst-time mother for two ears,

beginning before birth. In addition to

teaching parenting skills, the will help

the oung moms and dads with nding

resources. It will be important for thenurses to let the moms do the work and

not x a problem or do the work for

them, Delores sas. The moms will feel

better about themselves, particularl

when the bab comes, Delores sas. She

adds that the nurse home visitors will be

good role models for the girls.

The nurses working with these teens

and oung single mothers need lots of

skills and abilities. The goal is to build

Tamera Stark, Ph.D.,Named Vice President,ProgramsHaving long worked with children,

Dr. Tamera Stark sas she has seen

children struggle once the reach school

age (5-ears-old) because their parents didnt

prepare them to be school-read earl on.

It can affect them throughout their

entire school career, she sas.

This shows the importance of starting

at the beginning.

As the new vice president-programs, Dr.

Stark will develop and administer HFIs pro-grams, including Building Strong Families,

Communit Doula, Dads Make A Difference

and all HFI famil support programs.

Dr. Stark was previousl director

of communit programs for Bastrop

Independent School District, where she

developed and administered an arra

of programs for students and adults in

the districts 16 campus and communit

locations. She also provided oversight of

the Communit Education, 21st Centur

Communit Learning Centers, STARS After

School, District Dacare, Pregnanc Re-

lated Services and Life Skills programs.

Dr. Stark holds certications from the

Learning Resources Network, the Associa-

tion of Professionals in Business Manage-

I like the fact that HFI isnt

just a service provider, but

is here to trail-blaze new

programming as well.

In HFIs Family... ment and the Societ for Human ResourcesManagement. She holds a BBA from the

Universit of Texas in Austin, an MA from

the Universit of South Dakota and an MA

and PhD from Louisiana Baptist Universit.

She and her husband, Scott OBeirne,

live in Sugar Land. HFI

trust and strong relationships with the

moms, Delores explains. The need to

have compassion and help these oung

women believe the can do this.

A mom herself and a grandmother of

a 2-ear-old, Delores knows the ups and

downs of parenting. She also brings to HFI

a broad background of clinical, manage-

ment and educational skills.

Delores is responsible for general

oversight of the program and coordinating

with the national and state NFP program

leaders as well as with the consortium

partners, particularl the three service

providers: Balor College of Medicine Teen

Clinics, Texas Childrens Health Plan and

The Cit of Houston Department of Health

and Human Services. Each of the serviceproviders has four nurses providing home

visitation services. Service providers began

seeing mothers in December 2008. The

Nurse Home Visitors and Nursing Supervi-

sors are registered professional nurses

with a minimum of a Baccalaureate degree

in nursing. HFI is the lead agenc, serving as

scal agent and coordinating services. HFI


6/8


Its here! Visit HFIs new website at www.hfihouston.org.

HFIorchestrat

edanexchang

eofideasand

challengesabo

utassistingfam

ilieswithagro

upofUK

healthservice

representativ

es.Gathering

atHFIofcesw

ere(backrow,

lefttoright),E

laineMcAnelly

andSteveMor

iarty,HFIboar

dmembers;Ja

nePigott-Smit

h,GatewayCo

mmunityInter

estCo.senior

managerandA

nnetteWilliam

son,Birmingha

mHealthand

WellbeingPar

tnership,prog

ramlead

forInfantMor

tality,and(fron

trow)Marianne

Ehrlich,HFIpr

esident;Donna

Darbyshire,di

rectorof

ChildrenServi

cesandVickiF

itzgerald,Gate

wayCommuni

tyInterestCo.

chiefexecutive

.

Two Countries, 5,000 MilesAnd A Cup O CoeeA simple cup of coffee brought two

women together from countries 5,000

miles apart, but it was the challenges that

the faced in their two cities that reunited

them in Houston months later.

Over a three da sojourn this past sum-

mer, Health Famil Initiatives hosted a

delegation of four Birmingham, England,

health services representatives to share

knowledge about best practices in home

visitation, pregnanc and prenatal educa-

tion and prevention of child abuse and

neglect, and to gain better understanding

about how our two countries ver differ-

ent health and human services sstems

are responding to ver similar human

needs and challenges.

The exchange originated through a

chance meeting in Palo Alto, CA of our

president and CEO, Marianne Ehrlich, at

the Stanford Social Innovations confer-

ence, with Vicki Fitzgerald, Gatewa

Communit Interest Co. chief execu-

tive. Over coffee, the two realized

the extraordinar similarities of their

work and determined to expand their

dialogue through a visit to Houston.

Together during the exchange visit

in Houston, we looked at our health

care sstems, demographics, work force

issues, infant mortalit, famil struc-

tures and cultural and ethnic issues in

serving high risk populations. Our British

colleagues shared their own programs

and approaches to strengthening families

and were introduced to the HFI BuildingStrong Families program model and staff,

our doula and fathering programs, and to

members of our board of directors.

HFI arranged a series of collaborative

visits, including The Childrens Defense

Fund and with members of the current

American Leadership Forum class to learn

about its Cradle to Prison Pipeline project.

Houston Area Womens Center members

discussed violence prevention programs

and approaches and United Wa represen-

tatives shared insight about how it has

developed and is tracking human services

program outcomes.

The ladies also met with the local con-

sortium group working with HFI to plan

and implement the state funded Nurse

Famil Partnership program pilot. As

well as being implemented in the United

States, this program is in a second phase

of expansion in Great Britain, offering on-

going opportunities to compare outcome

data and stud the process and progress

in the two different health care sstems.

After the Houston visit, HFI arranged a

visit in Birmingham for the Texas Health

and Human Services Commission NFP con-

tract administrator to see rsthand how

the NFP program is being rolled out.

Gaining greater understanding that

problems confronted b families

are ver similar

across cultures and that we can improve

our own approaches b learning how

other countries nd solutions to such

challenges was an ee-opening experi-

ence. Through further exchanges, this

budding international relationship will

likel become even more fruitful. All from

a cup of coffee. HFI


7/8

www.hfihouston.or

Doula Program ExpandsDue To Popular DemandBeatriz was 14 ears old, married and three

months pregnant when she left her famil

and moved to her husbands home in Hous-

ton. Her husband-to-be had come to her

village in Guerrero, Mexico, after the met

over the phone. Two weeks later the were

married. Right awa, she was pregnant.

As soon as she arrived in Houston, her

sister-in-law mentioned the childbirth

education classes offered b HFIs Com-

munit Doula Program at the Magnolia

Multi-Service Center clinic in Houstons

East End.

Natinal

(%)

Dula

Prgram (%)

Estimated st

savings per birth

($)

Full-term pregnanc 87.5 96.8 N/A

Health weight infant 92 97 41,985

Cesarean section 31.1 20 8,000

Breastfed 6+ months 13 81 810

*National statistics from National Center for Health Statistics, March of Dimes,American Academ of Pediatrics and CDC

You can help prepare

our mothers-to-be by

donating layette items

or our monthly baby

showers. For more

inormation, or to make

a donation, please

contact Marisa

Pena-Alaro at

713-270-8849 x234 or

at [email protected]

DoulaProgram

Director,Maris

aPena-Alfaro,

explainsbirthi

ngandcomfor

ttechniquest

o

expectanttee

nmomsatLee

HighSchool

Beatriz completed the course of eight

sessions but attended an additional 10 class-

es because, she sas, I learned so muchabout pregnanc and found out that all the

mths people had told me werent true.

Although the word doula literall,

servant is an old one, the concept

is relativel new. In the greater Houston

area, Marisa Pena-Alfaro is one of onl 14

women certied as doulas through DONA

International, the oldest and largest doula

association. At HFI, she and Karla Tapia

work with at-risk pregnant teens and

other oung mothers, helping them to

develop and maintain a health lifestle

during pregnanc and after.

The prgram lls an essential need fr

eduatin and supprt f lw-inme ex-

petant mthers. In Harris Count in 2004,

18 percent of pregnant women received

either late prenatal care (after the rst tri-

mester) or none at all. Eight percent of all

births in the count were low birthweight,

making these babies 25 times more likel

than health babies to die before their

rst birthda.

At the Magnolia Center, a heavil His-

panic area, 19 percent of children are born

to teen mothers; 60 percent do not have a

high school diploma.

The doula program works. In 2008,

96.8 percent of the mothers carried their

pregnanc full term, compared to 87.5

percent nationall; 80 percent had natural

births compared to 68.9 percent nationall;

97 percent of mothers had health weight

infants, compared to 92 percent nationall,

and 81 percent breastfed their children for

at least six months compared to 13 percent

nationall. The demand for these services

is increasing HFI added a program at the

Spring Branch Famil Development Center

in Houston in Februar 2009 to the existing

locations at Lee High School, LBJ Teen Clinic

and the Magnolia Center, and provided

advisor services to organizations as far

awa as the United Kingdom.

Karla was so supportive for m husband

and me, Beatriz said. She staed with me

during all m labor. Karla taught me the wa

to breastfeed m little Merlina. Thats wh I

could breastfeed her for one ear.

Having Karla was just like having m

own mom. HFI


8/8

7500 Beechnut | Suite 366

Houston, TX 77074

P: 713.270.8849

F: 713.270.9532

www.hhouston.org

HFI is a Better Business Bureau

accredited 501(c)(3)

Please help us strengthen families and prevent child abuse this year.

Non-ProftOrganization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Houston, TX

Permit #04862

Return Service Requested

Primary Prevention Perspectives is published b Health Famil Initiatives.

HEALTHY FAMILY INITIATIVESSTAFF LEADERSHIP

MARIANNE L. EHRLICHPresident & CEO

ELISABETH RUEB FEERICKSenior Vice President

ELLISON RICK DySON, CPAVice President Finance & Administration

TAMERA L. STARK, Ph.D.Vice President Program Operations

HEALTHY BABIESHFIs doula program for low-income

mothers outperforms national averages

in the births of health, full-term babies

b natural childbirth. Demand for the

program is growing. Read one oung

mothers experience on page seven and

learn how ou can help.

Documents

HFI Newsletter Spring 2009