Cleveland and Cuyahoga County’s infant mortality rate has been among the highest in the nation for decades with black babies today being 2.5 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies. For Merrick House, this is an unacceptable crisis and one that the Tremont neighborhood center is trying to help fix through its “MomsFirst™” Program that’s free to pregnant women who reside on the west side of Cleveland.
Through the MomsFirst program offered at Merrick House, expectant mothers are provided with a Community Health Worker who is specially trained to provide home visits and support services. While all pregnancies are different, each pregnant mother receives help finding a doctor for her and her baby, help getting to the doctor for checkups, connections to any medical or social services they need, and answers to everything from prenatal care, baby care, birth control, and family planning. “It is our hope that by removing some of the hurdles these moms are facing that they will not only have a healthy pregnancy, but deliver and raise a healthy baby that has the very best chance of thriving,” said Michelle Curry, Executive Director of Merrick House. “We see moms here that have limited resources and support, and who genuinely want to do everything within their power to keep their babies healthy. The program is unique in that it also provides opportunities for fathers to participate and gain valuable parenting advice as well,” Curry added.
Each month, Merrick hosts a MomsFirst Consortium for pregnant women that is open to the public. This is a free educational event featuring speakers who present on topics such as safe infant sleep, breastfeeding, family planning, and more. MomsFirst is an inclusive program that provides support to pregnant mothers in Cleveland who are teenagers, as well as those in jail, in a rehab program, or living in a shelter.
To request information about the MomsFirst program at Merrick House, which serves the west side of Cleveland, call Tiffany Ashley, MomsFirst Case Manager, at 216.771.5077 ext. 110.
The MomsFirst program offered at Merrick House is funded in part by the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health, Community West Foundation, The Reuter Foundation, the Thatcher Family Fund, the CareSource Foundation, the Dominion Foundation, and private Donations.
