Lucas Frerichs, chair of both First 5 Yolo and Yolo County Board of Supervisors. Courtesy photo

YOLO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - First 5 Yolo is sharing the remarkable achievements of its Welcome Baby program in its inaugural year.

This initiative, offered free of charge and on a voluntary basis, has received support for three years with funding from Yolo County's American Rescue Plan Act funds. Welcome Baby offers extensive support to new parents, ensuring they receive the necessary resources and aid during the crucial postpartum phase, promoting birth equity.

Welcoming a newborn into the family can be both exciting and challenging. Recognizing this, Welcome Baby offers eligible new parents or caregivers with Medi-Cal or no insurance a range of invaluable services.

Those services include an in-home Welcome Baby Nurse visit within two weeks of bringing home the newborn, up to two additional visits from a community health worker specializing in family resources, available either in-home or virtually. These visits are tailored to meet the specific needs of each family, encompassing clinical medical assessments of mother and baby, coordination of care, breastfeeding support and referrals, connection to community resources, assistance with scheduling appointments, health education and more.

Welcome Baby extends its support to offer additional services intended to address the diverse needs of new parents, such as mental health support, guidance on newborn care and assistance with accessing essential supplies.

The high-quality direct client services of Welcome Baby are provided by First 5 Yolo’s partners, CommuniCare+OLE and Yolo County Children’s Alliance. The program's emphasis on early intervention and comprehensive assistance is pivotal in fostering the health and well-being of parents and infants in Yolo County.

This significance is underscored by a report from UC Davis's Health Equity Across the Lifespan (HEAL) Lab, which evaluated Welcome Baby's first-year outcomes. The report is accessible at www.YoloCounty.org/WelcomeBabyReport.

“Welcome Baby is achieving real results for women, children and families in Yolo County and I’m proud that the county and our cities have partnered with First 5 Yolo to launch this innovative and transformative effort,” said Lucas Frerichs, chair of both First 5 Yolo and the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

In its inaugural year, Welcome Baby achieved remarkable milestones, demonstrating its significant value to families in need. Notably, the program successfully reached higher-risk populations, with one-third of mothers and babies identified as moderate or high risk for adverse postpartum outcomes. Its inclusive approach ensured diverse participation, with more than half of the participants identifying as Hispanic/Latina and many expressing a language preference other than English.

The program's emphasis on mental health facilitated early identification and referral for postpartum depression and anxiety. Essential referrals to community resources and the provision of infant supplies also provided support to families.

Welcome Baby families surpassed maternal and infant benchmarks, with almost all participants completing postpartum visits and high rates of well-child visit completion and breastfeeding. These outcomes underscore the program's commitment to comprehensive maternal and infant care and highlight its effectiveness in reaching families early for prevention and intervention.

For more details about Welcome Baby and enrollment information, visit First 5 Yolo's website at www.First5Yolo.org/WelcomeBaby.