MOMS Orange County
PROGRAMS
Health Education
In addition to its Healthy Beginnings, Maternal Child Home Visitation Program, MOMS offers Health Education classes and support groups covering a range of topics: Prenatal Education; Preparing for Motherhood; Postpartum Support; Breastfeeding Education; Mommy & Me/My Family & Me; Healthy Woman; Strong Fathers/Strong Families; and Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas Parenting Education. Education Classes are provided at no-cost in both English and Spanish and are designed for an at-risk, low-income population. Classes are 90 minutes to 2 hours in length. Some are stand-alone, while others are offered as multi-session series with classes occurring weekly. Clients are encouraged but not required to attend all classes in a series. Classes are offered in-person and virtually. In-person classes take place at MOMS Santa Ana facility, as well as at other locations in Orange County in partnership with Family Resource Centers and community agencies. Health Education classes serve as a complement to the comprehensive one-on-one, in-home health education provided by health workers during monthly home visits. In Fiscal Year 2024, MOMS provided 677 classes.
While more knowledgeable parents and healthier babies and parents are important outcomes of the classes, they also have the goal of providing a supportive network for new parents. The goals of MOMS Health Education Classes include: 1) Increasing the knowledge and skills of expectant and new parents, 2) Reducing mental stress and anxiety for expectant and new parents, 3) Promoting stress management and coping skills for parents, 4) Improving health outcomes for babies and mothers, 5) Empowering and supporting mothers to be more confident and effective advocates for themselves, their families, and their children, and 6) Reducing isolation of new parents by building networks and facilitating friendships and supportive relationships.
Healthy Beginnings Home Visitation Program
Under Registered Nurse supervision, Maternal Child Health Workers and Health Educators provide access to prenatal care, health screenings, infant development screenings, health education and referral services through monthly home visits and group classes. Maternal Child Health Workers provide mothers and their babies with in-home education and support during pregnancy and through the baby’s first birthday. During pregnancy, the program focuses on measures to increase the mother's chance of delivering a healthy baby. After birth, the focus is on promoting the baby's healthy growth and development and the mother’s well-being. Home visits are conducted by highly-trained Maternal Child Health Workers who are supported by Registered Nurse (RN) Case Managers. Services are provided in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. One key element to the MOMS approach is that staff share the same culture and language and are able to gain the trust and confidence of the client because of the personalized relationship developed over time. This enables staff to observe a mother and her baby in their home on multiple occasions - allowing for unique opportunities to screen for potential health risks that can be averted with education and intervention. MOMS serves more than 3,000 low-income families annually in Orange County communities.
MOMS health and developmental outcomes continue to surpass local, state and national maternal-child outcomes despite the at-risk population served. MOMS can provide one mother and her baby with a full range of services for less than $1,200 a year - a wise investment considering the life-long costs and consequences of poor birth outcomes and delayed infant development. Based on the most conservative estimates, every dollar invested in prenatal programs like MOMS saves the community $3.33 – this does not include the untold millions saved over a lifetime for just one baby with a poor birth outcome and/or delayed development.
CONTACT
MOMS Orange County
1128 W Santa Ana Blvd.
Santa Ana, CA 92703
Tracy Foye
Phone: 714-352-3406