Women's health fair

More than 900 infants die nationwide each year from suffocation because their sleeping parents roll over onto them in bed.

That tragedy should never happen in Highlands County, because the Healthy Start program provides a portable crib or a "Moses basket" free to every family that can't afford one.

Safe sleeping spaces for infants was among the dozens of topics covered Friday morning as the Highlands County Health Department hosted a Women's Health Fair, focusing on prenatal care, childbirth and early childhood care.

Twenty-one nursing students from South Florida Community College helped staff the event. They brought educational displays, passed out brochures and talked with women about health issues surrounding pregnancy and child care.

Also passing out brochures and talking with women were representatives from the state's WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program and the Redlands Christian Migrant Association.

"This is just the start," said Jackie Rawlings, director of Healthy Start for Highlands County.

"We want to build on this and offer health fairs in partnership with the South Florida nursing program at least twice a year," she said. "We're also looking to have more community partners, better locations and to publicize it better."

With her first baby due on May 30, Ashley Nolen of Lorida said she appreciated all of the information available at the fair.

"I'm just trying to make sure I'm prepared and getting the best information I can for my baby," she said. "I want to make sure that I'm doing everything I can so that she's healthy."

Nolen said she and husband, Josh, have their crib ready, but she wasn't aware of the need to buy a bumper pad for the inside of the crib.

"I guess you assume everything you need would come with your crib set," she said. "I'm glad I found out here about getting the bumper pad for safety and to prevent suffocation."

Delsie Fletcher, one of the nursing students, manned a display pointing out the dangers that smoking by the mother poses for the baby both before and after birth.

"Everything that a mother does is going to affect the baby," she said. "And education is the key."

Robin Solebelo, professor of nursing at the college, said the health fair provided valuable experience for her students.

"You learn not only in the classroom but also outside the classroom, and this helps them apply some of the things they've learned," she said.

Millie Martin, a care coordinator with Healthy Start, said the health fair provided a good opportunity to tell people about all of the services and information the program offers.

As one example, she said, all parents should know how important a safe sleeping space is for a baby and that, if they can't afford a crib, Healthy Start will provide one.

At times, she said, the free porta-cribs are in short supply due to limited funding. But, she said, volunteers at St. Catherine Catholic Church solve that problem by making and donating "Moses baskets." They pad and convert a plastic laundry basket into a safe sleep area for infants up to two to three months old, she said.

Healthy Start offers information and services to all new or expecting parents, regardless of income, Martin said.

"If you were to pay for a lactation (breast feeding) consultant, you would pay about $150, and we offer that service for free," she said. "If you want to take a childbirth class, that would cost $40, and we can give you that for free.

"And it's the same with car seats. The cheapest you're going to find one is about $65, but we can provide one for $20. And we have a certified technician to go out and check to see that the seat was installed correctly."

Rawlings said the health department will be putting on more health fairs.

"We are always looking at ways to get the word out to more people, to realize that Healthy Start isn't an income related service, it's available to everyone," she said. "And we have information that is valuable to every parent or parent to be.

"We want to reach as many people as we can with the critical information that they need to know."