The Bronx Perinatal Information Network Annual Forum

Now extended to 3:00 PM

In recent years, much evidence has accumulated that good birth outcomes – and ongoing good health by the mother – require more than just access to high-quality prenatal care. Because many health problems that can affect both the developing fetus and the woman long-term develop long before conception, there is a growing consensus on the critical need for wide access to preconception care. More recently, programs for such care have been placed within a broader “Life Course Perspective” providing care to women throughout their lives. In the Bronx in particular, high rates of obesity, nutritional deficiencies, high blood pressure, domestic violence, and mental health concerns, among many challenges, make this an especially urgent need.

This forum will look at the major influences on the health of both women and their developing fetus that can be addressed in the preconception period. There will be presentations by providers offering general medical, mental health, environmental health, nutrition, and genetics-related health care. The forum will also offer strategies to help care providers and health care institutions provide more of their preconception clients with these types of screening and services, and how to get more clients into such care.

Goals of the Forum:

Participants in this conference will gain an understanding of:
•    the key elements of preconception care, based on the guidelines set by the CDC’s Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative
•    the concepts and experiences of the Life Course Perspective as it affects preconception care
•    specific preconception health issues in the areas of overall health, mental health, nutrition, environmental health, and genetics that have the most impact on pregnancy, childbirth, and the woman’s long-term health
•    successful approaches to bringing women into preconception screening and care for those issues.
•    the role of midwives and community health workers in providing preconception care
•    the experiences of consumers in preconception care, and lessons learned for both consumers and providers
•    preconception care services currently available in the Bronx, and the types of programs needed to fill the gaps
•    the importance of delivering preconception care with cultural competence responding to the needs of particular communities in the Bronx.

To join us - please click on the link above to register or RSVP.

If you need additional information or assistance in registering for the event, please call 718-590-2648.