Principal Organization: St. Michael’s Hospital Young Parents No Fixed Address Work Group
Authors: Catherine Moravac, BSc, Merry Little, RN, MSc, ACNP, Alice Gorman, BScN, Rosanne Nisenbaum, BA, MA, PhD, Darlene Dzendoletas, BSW, MSW, Rebecca Fortin, BA, MHSC
Participants: Underhoused, homeless or street-involved pregnant women under age 27 who received pre-natal care at St. Michael’s Hospital (in downtown Toronto) between July 2005 and October 2007
Research Methods: Quantitative, Qualitative (One-to-one interviews, focus groups)
2009 Innovations Award Winner
“Meeting Community Needs Through Integrated Care”
Awarded in recognition of excellence and innovation in health care by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Province of Ontario. More on this award
Just knowing someone cared about you and what happens to you. Because they’re interested in me making my appointments and the beautiful thing about this is you got to see the weight, heart rate — this is more like a medical report and I liked it because I have mine. (“My Baby and Me” Passport User)
This report details the results of the pilot study evaluating the “My Baby and Me” infant passport program at St. Michael’s Hospital. The passport is a portable health record and information booklet for young pregnant homeless or marginally housed women.
The passport and incentive program were developed to improve maternal and child health outcomes by motivating involved youth to attend regular prenatal appointments and improve communication and coordination of patient care among health care providers.
Key Messages
- Establish hospital/community multi-disciplinary models of practice across Ontario to provide prenatal, postnatal and well-baby support specifically for homeless and low-income women within hospitals and on an outreach basis at shelters and community-based agencies/clinics.
- Provide stable funding for nurse practitioners, street outreach nurses and social workers at hospitals and health units to coordinate collaborative models of care in geographic areas where rates of poverty and homelessness are high.