The Perinatal Mental Health Task Force, chaired by First Step Family Support Center recently threw their first annual Community Connection Baby Shower; bringing more than 30 partner organizations and 90 families together in one place to address the mental and physical health needs of parents, caregivers, and new families living on the Olympic Peninsula.
“A comfy place for mommas and itty bitty babies” – Community member
With support from many community partners such as, Olympic Medical Center, Mariposa House, North Olympic Health Care Network, Molina Healthcare, United Healthcare, Community Health Place of Washington, and more, this year’s Community Connection Baby Shower offered free workshops and a resource fair featuring local medical professionals and healthcare workers.
“The car seat clinic was extremely educational!” - Community member
Organizers hoped to provide resources to support the overall mental health and wellbeing of new families, , make connections to develop a stronger community of care, and improve family health outcomes overall. Some of the workshops featured the expertise of North Olympic Healthcare Network’s team of navigators, behavioral health professionals, and obstetrics providers. Offering workshops such as:
“Incredible Years Workshop Simple and Effective Parenting Tips”
“Wellness and Self-care”
“Q&A with OB Providers: Come chat about anything from pregnancy to pediatric care!”
Participants left with swag, free diapers and wipes, and personal connections to the care providers in their county. One participant even said, “the whole event was like comic con for babies, it was awesome!”
Due to overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, First Step plans to make this a recurring annual event.
With community events like these, we are taking steps towards fostering healthy people, thriving communities!
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