Nutrition programs get new money

Page 10

Jannine Wabasca is the young mother of a happy, healthy three-year-old son, Justen, and she credits one of Canada's Prenatal Nutrition Programs for giving her the information and support she needed to give her son a good start in life.

Wabasca was at Edmonton's Boyle Street Community Services Centre on Oct. 29 where she, and other young mothers, met with federal Health Minister Allan Rock who announced that the prenatal nutrition program in the province would see an additional $2.6 million over the next three years.

"When I was pregnant, I didn't have the support I needed, and then the Health for Two program [the prenatal nutrition program run out of the Boyle Street location] gave me the support that I needed, plus the self-esteem to get me through my pregnancy," Wabasca told a crowd of reporters. The Health for Two program provides vitamins and milk free of charge to pregnant women, and teaches participants about nutritional food choices to improve the health of mothers and their children.

Started in 1994, Canada's prenatal nutrition programs have helped 20,000 women each year. In Alberta, there are 21 sites where women can access programs. With the injection of new money, more sites may be on the way, he said.

"Early intervention with pregnant women, with infants, is enormously important for them to get a decent start in life," said Rock. "About a thousand babies are born in Canada every day and the vast majority are born healthy and live healthy, productive lives. But there are a lot of babies with preventable problems, who have low birth weight, who have health difficulties in their early years that reduce either their life expectancy or their potential throughout their lives. So intervening early to make sure every child has a decent start in life is terribly important. And that's what Canada's Prenatal Nutrition Program is all about."

Rock said a study of the women in the program shows that half have incomes of less than $1,000 a month, half have Grade 10 or less education, and half are under 18.

"So these are obviously women who face challenges," said Rock. The program, through counselling and helping new mothers find out what to expect from their new roles, makes an enormous difference, he said.

"These additional dollars will make a real difference in improving the prenatal health of women and will help us reach one of Capital Health's ultimate goals, and that is to achieve positive birth outcomes for all women and specifically for those who are currently under served," said Marianne Stewart, director of health promotions and preventative programs for the Capital Health Authority. "The support from Health Canada enables Health for Two to provide prenatal education and support to over 1,800 annually. The collaborative efforts of over 50 community-based partners in this program are essential in reaching those women who face significant barriers in accessing health services," she said.