2010 Hospital Breastfeeding Reports Released

The 2010 Policy Update on California Breastfeeding and Hospital Performance was recently released by the California WIC Association and the UC Davis Human Lactation Center.  The State and County-specific reports affirm the importance of exclusive breastfeeding promotion at the hospital level.  In 2010, the average rate of any breastfeeding inOrangeCountywas 92.7% and 55.6% for exclusive breastfeeding. OrangeCountycurrently has five Baby-Friendly hospitals.

AtMOMSOrangeCounty, we work to support our clients before, during and after their breastfeeding experience.  MOMS encourages exclusive breastfeeding to protect the health of mothers and infants and supports our hospital partners’ policies and practices to increase initiation and duration of breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, as well as greater acceptance of breastfeeding as the accepted norm.

Click here for 2010 Orange County Hospital Breastfeeding Report 

Click here for 2012 Annual California Fact Sheet

Click here for 2012 Hospital Breastfeeding Rates Report 

Board Spotlight: Larry Pace

MOMS Orange County serves our community through the commitment of many dedicated people working in collaboration with one another to educate and support our clients and build up the strength, stability and sustainability of the organization as a whole.   These individuals put into motion the mission of MOMS Orange County through their hands, feet, hearts and minds.  In each Lil’ Bits edition, we will introduce you to one of the many valuable people at MOMS Orange County who bring our mission to life.

Larry Pace is currently the Vice President of the MOMS Orange County (MOMS) Board of Directors and, as the Founder & Owner of SATORI Physical Therapy & PACE Sports Training, brings to MOMS insight, experience and a passion for health and wellness.  We took some time to dig deeper and get to know Larry a bit better.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

In 1983, I came out to California from Long Island, NY, to study sports medicine at Chapman University. I decided to stay in California and in 1991 I started my family by marrying my Chapman sweetheart, Jane. We now have three children.

What is your personal connection to MOMS Orange County’s mission?

I was born into challenging circumstances in South Korea.  My birth mother was a single mother and placed my biological sister and me up for adoption, as she was unable to meet our needs at that time in her life.  We were both adopted into the United States. Having had that experience and now being a father of my own three children, I’ve developed a more worldly perspective.  That is why MOMS mission to provide assistance to mothers, babies and their families really resonates with me.

What has been the most enjoyable aspect of being a MOMS board member?

I enjoy continuing to learn about MOMS model of service and its positive impact in the community as well as seeing how my personal and professional capabilities can best add value to the organization. Over the years, I’ve seen MOMS grow and mature as an organization.  The tough financial times necessitated some very thoughtful and strategic decisions, which were definite learning opportunities.

MOMS currently has 100% of my non-profit volunteer time.  As an extremely well managed organization with a core philosophy of disciplined spending in these challenging economic times, we enjoy both a strong service model and financial stability. For these reasons, it is my pleasure to have the latitude to help by providing additional thinking outside of the box. This has made it a very enjoyable board experience for me.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time on the board? 

I first became involved with MOMS as a supporter and was recruited by a former board member, Bert Cottle.  As a board member, I hope to provide a unique perspective to the conversation about MOMS future growth and security.  As a board, we’ve had many planning sessions to discuss the viability of an expansion of our work while keeping costs down. Personally, I’d love to see the MOMS services have a greater geographic and demographic reach, and continue to build partnerships with community partners and providers

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family in sporting and gaming activities. With three children who all participate in sports, we are frequent spectators and help train our kids in karate, cross country running, track, and skate boarding.

Thank you for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Larry!

Community Snapshot

It’s a GOOOOAAALLL! Soccer World Anaheim hosted a Diaper Donation Drive for MOMS Orange County. Opportunitydrawing entries were given in exchange for diapers and the winner received a pair of soccer shoes autographed by soccer star, Andres Guardado.  The World Soccer Foundation collected a total of 56 diaper packages forMOMSOrangeCountyfamilies!  A special thanks to former clients Sergio Mengual and his wife Paulina Gonzalez for their support!

Learning Link Comes to Santa Ana

On Thursday, March 29^th, 2012, MOMS Orange County joined its community partner and neighbors, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, in celebrating the Open House of Learning Link at its Readiness on the Road site in Santa Ana.  Community leaders, supporters and families joined First District Supervisor Janet Nguyen in the ribbon cutting and tour of the Learning Link space. The power of the partnership is that both organizations are able to support and strengthen more families in the community by supporting and strengthening one other.

A program of Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove and funded by the Children & Families Commission of Orange County, Readiness on the Road and Learning Link are part of the Community Wide School Readiness programs for families with children ages 0-5 years.  While Readiness on the Road is a 10-week program for caregivers and their children ages 2.5 to 5 years, the Learning Link was opened specifically for children ages 0-5 years with its main purpose to provide a safe, nurturing place for parents and children to explore, learn, and grow. With the limited availability of safe, open spaces for children to play, the Learning Link is the perfect place for families to visit and get the resources and information they need. Upon graduating from the MOMS Orange County 12-24 month Mommy & Me infant development class, many parents are referred directly to Readiness on the Road and Learning Link for continued early literacy development.

“At MOMS Orange County, we encourage parents to continue to learn about their baby’s health, growth, development, and early brain stimulation. And, we hope that we have inspired parents to continue to develop their own parenting skills,” says CEO, Pamela Pimentel, RN. “Readiness on the Road is a valued partner who enrolls young children and their parents after they “graduate” from MOMS Orange County, and works with parents and their young child on fun learning activities that promote school readiness and early literacy. It is partnerships like this that are a win-win for the parents, their babies, and ultimately, our community!”

Readiness on the Road Program Manager, Angelica Molina, with Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove Chief Professional Officer, Pat Halberstadt

Angelica Molina, Program Manager of Readiness on the Road, sees a difference in MOMS babies in the program.  “Many of the families we serve were referred by MOMS and we also are able to refer any pregnant clients directly to them as well.  You definitely see the difference in babies that come to us from MOMS as they generally cry less, are more socially engaged and all around happy babies. It’s a great relationship.”

Julia and her husband began attending the Mommy, Daddy & Me class for 3-5 month old babies.  Julia had many questions and as an older mom, she was anxious about her baby’s normal growth whether he was meeting his developmental milestones on time compared to his peers. Her fears were quelled after talking to others in the class and seeing that he was strong and healthy just like the other babies.  Each week, instructor, Gabriela, would ask the parents, “What gifts did your baby give you this week?”  So used to worrying about him, Julia soon realized that her baby was indeed imparting her with gifts every day – touching her face, coiling his fingers around her hair, smiling gleefully at her during playtime.

At the workshop, Julia met other parents and among them, Norma, who was a kindred spirit and the two connected quickly, sharing about their struggles and their desire to provide the best for their families.  Norma’s four year old daughter was referred to Readiness on the Road, and after Julia and Norma completed the 12-24 month Mommy & Me workshop with their babies, they were both referred to Learning Link at the Readiness on the Road office in Santa Ana.

“Julia and Norma are role models to other parents in the program because they are always willing to learn and bring more parents,” said Molina.

The impact of the programs on both women is not lost even to their children.  Norma’s four-year old daughter, after visiting Readiness on the Road’s office, walked next door to MOMS and gifted a bracelet she had made to Gabriela.  Norma explained that she asked her if she could make one for Gabriela.  In response to why, she replied, “To thank her, Mommy, because she was the one who brought you your smile back.”  Even this young child could see clearly the changes that these services had made in her mom and the positive transformation of her family as a result.

Click here for more pictures of the Grand Opening Event

Evaluations & Outcomes

To illustrate the impact that MOMS Orange County is having in the community, we are proud to share with you our recently completed program evaluations, The Report on the Home Visitation Program of MOMS Orange County, 2009-2010 and VietMOMS Project – Evaluation Report, 2008-2010.

The Report on the Home Visitation Program of MOMS Orange County, 2009-2010 is a comprehensive evaluation of the Maternal Child Health Coordination program.  Assessing program and birth outcome data of all clients served by MOMS Orange County in 2009, this was a major yet significant undertaking.

Click to view: MOMS Orange County Evaluation Report 2009-2010

Click to view: MOMS Orange County Evaluation Executive Summary

The VietMOMS Project – Evaluation Report, 2008-2010 is the culmination of a 5-year project supported largely by The California Endowment along with leveraged funding from other key supporters.  This allowed MOMS Orange County to culturally adapt its home visitation program to meet the needs of Orange County’s low-income Vietnamese population.

Click to view: MOMS Orange County VietMOMS Program Evaluation Report

Special Thanks to Our Recent Funders!

(Maternal Child Health Screening Program)

Margaret E. Oser Fund for Women  (Health Education)

(Pregnancy & Diabetes Program)

(Child Passenger Safety)

Finding the Joy

Fall Intern, Orly Ninyo, shares her reflections on MOMS Orange County

When I first read about MOMS Orange County (MOMS) on its website, I remember hardly being able to contain the huge smile on my face when I realized that its mission almost exactly reflected my career aspirations and goals.  I could not wait to get involved.

In the last two years, I had worked for a non-profit organization, HealthCorps, as a health coordinator for an inner city high school in New York City.  The mission of HealthCorps is to combat the obesity and mental resilience crisis in children across America through mentorship, education, and health-promoting events.  My passion to prevent childhood obesity led me to this position and to my further aspiration to become a Family Nurse Practitioner.  The combination of my experiences with HealthCorps and MOMS taught me that there is an essential link between the way a child grows—in and outside of the womb—and their future health and wellness.  Early intervention is imperative to the development of a healthy child and with more people and organizations with the goals of MOMS we can have a significantly healthier nation and world. 

At MOMS, I had the opportunity to interview an inspirational woman named Ana, a client and now active volunteer.  Ana’s story had a significant impact on me.  Through the program and her own strength and commitment, Ana reversed her gestational diabetes, completely improved her lifestyle, and delivered a healthy and vibrant baby.  What she accomplished will change her life from here forward, but what she might not know is that with one sentence she taught me something that will stick with me throughout my life and career.  Ana said that the best part about volunteering with MOMS and changing her lifestyle during her second pregnancy was that she was able to enjoy being a mother to her daughter.  This is what the incredibly talented staff at MOMS Orange County works to instill in their clients every day.  This joy is attained through education, eradication of any fears or worries, and reinforcement that they are not alone – ever.  I believe that in a world where every pregnancy is planned and every child is enjoyed, in addition to being loved, we will see improvements in our overall health because parents will put more energy into the health and wellness of their children.

I wholeheartedly appreciate my experience with MOMS as I now have a greater sense of what is needed in our community and what I can do to help others attain optimal health.  I will always hold onto the memories of the smiles on the faces of the adorable babies in Gabi’s Mommy and Me classes, the way that Juan Diego was able to grab the attention of parents when explaining the process of conception, and Martha’s patient demeanor when teaching women with gestational diabetes how serious it is for them to make lifestyle changes—among many others.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with the staff at MOMS.  It was a wonderful reminder of how giving people can be.  I hope to be able to reconnect with MOMS in the future and work collaboratively toward a world with healthier babies.

Orly Ninyo is deeply passionate about health promotion and disease prevention especially during pregnancy and early years of childhood.  She recently spent two years as a health coordinator for Dr. Oz’s HealthCorps in New York City, educating teens about nutrition, mental resilience, and physical fitness.  She recently completed an internship at MOMS Orange County while continuing to volunteer and research in the health field.  Orly looks forward to attending nursing school in the fall for the Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty.

MOMS Volunteers = Awesome

In 2011, MOMS Orange County volunteers contributed a total of 837 hours!

A huge thank you to our many in-office and resource room, event and Adopt-a-Family volunteers!

Fact: If we applied the estimated dollar value of volunteer time, our volunteer contributed approximately $19,602 worth of in-kind time in 2011!  Wow!

Donate to Hanna-Me-Downs for 20% Off!

From February 13 – 26 donate your gently used Hannas in good used condition to Hanna Anderssons in Fashion Island and they will be “recycled” by passing them to MOMS Orange County clients – in return, you’ll receive 20% off your purchase.

A huge thank you in advance to Hanna Anderssons (and Story Manager Toni Whitney) for helping us help families in need!

A Closer Look…Behind the Gift

Often, we don’t get a chance to hear the behind-the-gift story from our invaluable donors and their efforts.  This month, we’d like to share some letters  from our Holiday Adopt-a-Family donors.  Thank you for your compassion and support!

“It is imperative that my husband and I instill the values of selflessness and giving to others in our kids.”  

My family has been honored to participate in the Adopt-a-Family program through MOMS Orange County for the last few years.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have had 2 healthy pregnancies and now I have 2 beautiful, healthy children. I just want to do whatever I can to help other moms have healthy babies, and to be able to help these families during the holidays means the world to me and my family.  My favorite part of the whole experience is taking my oldest daughter (who just turned 6) out shopping for the family. Seeing her excitement to pick out gifts for other children just makes my heart happy.  It is imperative that my husband and I instill the values of selflessness and giving to others in our kids.  I see these values reflected in their everyday lives, just by watching them interact with their friends and seeing their generosity.  We absolutely will continue to participate in the Adopt-a-Family program, hopefully for years to come!

- Holly Giuliano

“With the hard times so many in this country have experienced over the past several years, we all know how difficult it is to raise a family.  We always wish we could do more.” 

I am so impressed by the organization at MOMS Orange County and the compassion that drives everyone there to help others in need.  Knowing that the needy families we help are nominated by their home visitor for their participation in MOMS Orange County programs is helpful and reassuring to us all.  With the hard times so many in this country have experienced over the past several years, we all know how difficult it is to raise a family.  We always wish we could do more. 

I am lucky enough to work with a very kind, caring group of nurses who are very generous and absolutely love to shop for our families.  We are all very excited to receive the “Wish Lists” and I personally look forward to the holidays every year when we are able to do more for our community in our department. 

I have only been involved for the past five years, and it is incredibly fun and very uplifting to see our department come together for our families.  It doesn’t end at work, either! My kids and boyfriend are involved in the shopping, wrapping and delivering and we definitely appreciate how blessed we are to have food on the table, clothes on our back, and a roof over our heads.  I am so glad there are organizations like MOMS Orange County looking out for the needs of others.  When there may not be a place to turn, you are a shining example of the kind of resources we could use so much more of!

Thank you for all you do,

Shannon Helm, RN, Guest Health Services Lead, Disneyland Resort

“Babies are one of our most important resources.”

My wife and I feel that single mothers and their babies are underserved, which is why we specifically request a single parent family in our Adopt-a-Family giving.  Babies are one of our most important resources, and the mothers need all the help they can get.  We love shopping for them and trying to get the things that will help their life.

 Sincerely,

Wade and Anne Dorman