Jump Starting the Year
“Being a mom 24 hours a day with no break, no help, and what seems like no way out is hard. There is way too much pressure on moms in the beginning. I am so glad First 1,000 Days exists.”
- Mother of 2
In addition to helping families navigate resources, First 1,000 Days has many exciting things coming up this year! We are continuing to collaborate with partners to develop targeted interventions, increase professional comradery, and empower parents as leaders.
Family Navigation
First 1000 Days Family Navigator, Tina Wilson, has been hard at work helping families navigate resources. In January the team helped 52 families!
See below for some January statistics including top services families needed. The number one reason for unresolved referrals and rejections is the inability to contact clients. This is good, as it means there is currently no major concerns about capacity issues.
Perinatal Mental Health Coordination Hub
“It is essential for communities to prioritize maternal mental health and provide adequate support and resources to prevent and address mental health issues during pregnancy and postpartum. By doing so, not only can the well-being of the mother be improved but also the long term outcomes for the baby. By making maternal mental health treatment more accessible in our community, we are strengthening families.”
The Perinatal Hub has officially launched! It was developed with local Healthy Start Coalitions, Unite Us, and numerous regional mental health agencies to better support parents in navigating mental health services and reducing the stigma of reaching out for help. Carla Johanns with Forty Carrots Family Center is Chair of the Access to Care Workgroup and was critical in the development of the hub.
Anyone who is pregnant or post-partum can reach out to the hub and get connected with mental health services that fit their needs. Using Unite Us and its closed-loop capabilities, we can have confidence that families are getting help. Data from the network will also be used to develop solutions to any complex barriers or capacity concerns.
So far 10 parents have been connected with mental health services! 🌷
We greatly appreciate the following agencies for your dedication to this work: Forty Carrots Family Center, Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County, Samaritan Counseling of the Gulf Coast, The Florida Center, Healthy Start Coalition of Manatee County, Centerstone, First Step of Sarasota, JFCS, Safe Children Coalition. Thank you to Here for Youth Initiative by Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation for your donation to this critical program.
If you or someone you know needs help getting connected, please call: 941-999-8151 or click HERE!
Navigator Workgroups
61% of “navigator” professionals experienced job-related burnout some days
Source: Manatee and Sarasota Navigator Workgroup Pre-Survey
To help families, we must do better as a community to support the people who help them. Compassion fatigue and burnout can lead to mental health concerns and stress amongst professionals, as well as significant staff turnover. The workgroups are a place where care coordinators, navigators, peer support specialists and community health workers gather, collaborate, and network. In partnership with Multicultural Health Institute and Sarasota County Department of Health, the initiative strives to reduce burnout, increase knowledge of available resources, celebrate helping professionals, and improve job satisfaction.
The Navigator Workgroups are continuing to grow in participation every month. At the most recent meeting, there were 23 attendees for the Sarasota location and 10 for Manatee.
During the last two meetings, the groups dove deep into the barriers of housing in the Suncoast region, youth communication, life skills trainings, and staff vacancies.
Sarasota meetings are held on the third Thursday of ODD months from 12-1 pm
Manatee meetings are held on the second Monday of EVEN months from 12-1 pm
Please email First1000Days@smh.com for more information and to RSVP
Parents as Leaders
“I was reminded that routines are important, stick to it, if not I can feel the kids change their temper! I will also be working with my husband more to follow our routines.”
The Parent Advisory Committee meets monthly to guide the strategy for the initiative, share resources, and learn new topics such as mental health, early childhood development., etc. In April, three of the parents will be joining the initiative’s Steering Committee to work hand in hand with our partner agencies to guideour efforts. One of the parents, Maria Somera (pictured with CEO of Children First), will begin leading these monthly Parent Advisory Committee meetings this month.
Maria Somera has been a parent leader of First 1000 Days since 2020 when she was a part of a parent focus group. Since beginning on the Parent Advisory Committee, she has served on First 1000 Days Steering Committee, was Chair of the Children First Parent Policy Council, and currently sits on the CenterPlace Health Board. In recognition of all the amazing leadership Maria has exhibited, she has been selected as Parent of the Year at Children’s First. Congratulations, Maria!
Upcoming Events!
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Upcoming Events! 📅
Look at the fun & FREE events that we’ll be attending!
Sarasota Community Baby Shower Drive-Thru
Date: Saturday, April 1st
Time: 10am - 12pm
Location: 750 17th St, SarasotaSoar in 4
Date: Wednesday, April 5th
Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: 201 10th St W, BradentonDesoto Children’s Parade & ELC Party in the Park
Date: Friday, April 7th
Time: 10am- 2pm
Location: Palmetto’s 10th Street/Sutton ParkNorth Port Community Baby Shower
Date: Saturday, April 15th
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: 1602 Kramer Way, North PortPregnancy Solutions Open House
Date: Tuesday, April 18th
Time: 8:30am
Location: 209 W Oak Street, ArcadiaRemake Learning Days with Unidos Now
Date: Saturday, April 22nd
Time: 9:00am - 12:00pm
Location: 1730 Ken Thompson Parkway, SarasotaRemake Learning Days with The Bay
Date: Saturday, April 22nd
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: 655 N Tamiami Trail, SarasotaSoar in 4
Date: Wednesday, April 26th
Time: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location: 201 10th St W, BradentonRemake Learning Days with the Sarasota Orchestra
Date: Sunday, April 30th
Time: 1:00 - 4:00pm
Location: 5502 33rd Ave Dr W, Bradenton
Calls-to-Action
Join the Unite Us Network to address social determinants of health needs and send closed-loop electronic referrals for families to medical, mental health, and social services. Starting in April, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System will begin using Unite Us system-wide for all community referrals. We encourage all non-profit and community based agencies who are not on to join, so that the largest healthcare system in our community can better connect Manatee, Sarasota, and DeSoto residents with social and mental health services.
If you want to learn how to become a partner of First 1000 Days or meet with us to learn more, please contact us at Janice-houchins@smh.com
Interested in being added our email roster? Email First1000Days@smh.com to get started!
Follow us on social media! 👇