CLEARLAKE – Redbud Family Health Center now offers a free program for eligible women enrolled in Medi-Cal that is designed to help newborns in the community get off to a bright and healthy start.

 

The program, called Bright Start, offers a unique approach to well-baby care that combines a broad range of free services provided by a dedicated staff of physicians, nurses and counselors. Bright Start is part of the state’s Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program.

“The primary goal of Bright Start is to help moms take the best care possible of themselves during pregnancy so they have healthy babies,” said Michele Orpustan, perinatal health worker at Redbud Family Health Center. “This is a very comprehensive program that we tailor to each individual. We’re very fortunate to have a complete clinic here. All services, including dental care, are available onsite.”

Staff will help eligible women sign up for Medi-Cal while at the Redbud Family Health Center, an affiliate of Redbud Community Hospital.

Participants – which include pregnant women and mothers of newborns – start the program with a private, confidential interview to assess their needs and follow-up services that include:

• Maternity care from a physician and a midwife.

• Information about pregnancy, childbirth, baby care and breastfeeding provided through classes and individual visits. Available classes include a four-session series on childbirth led by labor and delivery nurses.

• Guidance on healthy eating during pregnancy.

• Information about where to go for financial help, food programs, and housing assistance.

• Guidance with alcohol and drug abuse issues.

• Non-judgmental counseling and support with personal problems.

Bright Start’s incentive program creates additional encouragement for mothers to participate. Participants receive a $5 credit per visit toward the purchase of baby clothes, towels, teddy bears, diapers and other infant-related items at the center’s onsite merchandise store. The credits also can be saved toward the purchase of larger, more expensive items or used for gasoline and bus vouchers if transportation to appointments is a problem.

Participants also are entered into a monthly raffle for infant car seats and baby quilts that have been made, and generously donated, by Thimbles and Hoops, a group of women affiliated with the First Baptist Church in Clearlake Oaks.

“We’re trying to make this program as attractive and accessible as possible,” Orpustan said. “This incentive program is really the icing on the cake.”

The Bright Start program is located in the Redbud Family Health Center, 15230 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake. Hours are: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For information and appointments, call 995-4500.

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