Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Birth Companions Program Elizabeth Betty Jordan DNSc, RNC Shirley E'

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Johns Hopkins School of NursingBirth
Companions Program Elizabeth Betty Jordan
DNSc, RNCShirley E. Van Zandt, MS, MPH, CRNP
Johns Hopkins School of NursingBaltimore,
Maryland
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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• OBJECTIVES for PRESENTATION
• 1. Describe an innovative program that utilizes
  student nurse doulas to provide prenatal, labor
  and birth, and postpartum support services.
• 2. Identify improved maternal and newborn
  outcomes supported by this program.
• 3. Discuss the benefits of community
  partnerships
• in reaching at-risk families to decrease health
  disparities.
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• GOALS of the PROGRAM
• 1. To promote the birth of healthy newborns in
  Baltimore City surrounding region.
• 2. To advocate for support women in reducing
  intrapartal medical interventions.
• 3. To improve prenatal education reduce health
  care disparities for underserved families.
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• PURPOSE
• To provide free doula care to underserved or
  underinsured pregnant women.
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Interventions by Student Birth Companions to
• IMPROVE OUTCOMES
• EDUCATION (diet, smoking cessation, labor
  birth)
• ADVOCACY community resources (Storks nest,
• car seat program)
• LABOR SUPPORT continuous presence, labor
  techniques (birth ball, music,hypnobirthing)
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Description of Program Community service
  -learning
• Baccalaureate Masters (NPs, CNMs) RPCV
• Two-credit elective
• Students leaders manage program
• phone line on-line client log
• Faculty advisors mentor students
• 24-hour on call
• Community Partnerships with approx. 40 agencies
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Description of Program Community service
  -learning
• Meet monthly for brown bag lunches
• Discuss client management strategies
• Speakers on relevant topics
• Review Spanish skills
• Students complete a family folder with
  evaluations
• Entered into data base
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• WHO WE SERVE
• Community-based prenatal
• programs
• Pregnant teens (high school)
• Refugee immigrants (IRC)
• Hispanic families
• Addicted women
• (CAP at Bayview)
• Teens in Correctional services
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• MARYLAND area served
• Marylands preterm birth rate 11.4/Baltimore
  City 14.4
• Marylands LBW 9.4/ Baltimore Citys LBW
  13.4
• Marylands Cesarean birth rate31.1 (AA35.6)
• 5.2 of births are to women receiving late or no
  prenatal
• care in Baltimore City 
• Of the 1,435 babies born in an average week in
  Maryland 139 are born to teen mothers, 191 are
  born preterm, 134 are born LBW, 14 will die
  before their 1st birthday.
• Rank 35th in U.S.  
• Maryland Vital Statistics' Report (2007).
  Retrieved July, 2008 
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• DEMOGRAPHICS currently served over 625 women
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• COST TO SOCIETY
• Baltimore City av.
  NICU charge
• 33,832
  (Inpatient State Data)

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Program Outcomes Newborn Health Indicators
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Program Outcomes Maternal Health Indicators
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Program Outcomes Risk Factors for Poor Maternal
  Newborn Outcomes for Program Participants
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• Program Satisfaction
• Mothers who completed satisfaction surveys
  report a positive and satisfying experience.
• Out of a possible score of 5 (most-satisfied),
  mother-rated Birth Companions averaged 4.8 on
  their provision of physical, emotional and
  informational support.
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• IMPORTANCE
• Persistent high rates of low birth weight
  preterm birth in the U.S. their health care
  expenditures necessitate a unique, innovative,
  community-level response.
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• IMPORTANCE
• Alumni surveys have been conducted with nursing
  student Birth Companion graduates.
• Students report this community experience
  provided a strong and significant addition to my
  education.
• 
  

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JHUSON Birth Companions Program

• 
  

Thank you! bjordan_at_son.jhmi.edu