AG19800114 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Perinatal Program Plan Cabarrus County Health Department Introduction: Webster defines "perinatal" as "occurring at or about the tin/e of birth." The term has been expanded to encompass a longer period of kime both prior to and foll~ving the actual birth of an infant. In order to help reduce the infant mortality and long-term morbidity rate in Cabarrus County improved prenatal care and perinatal care ere essential. Mothers with conditions classified as "high risk" are tl~se most likely to have problems during delivery resulting in infants with develolmnantal problems. Young unwed teenagers often have several high risk criteria which place them and their infants in danger. Almost one-fourth of births in cabarrus County in 1978 were to teenagers. Caba~s County Health Department has had a high risk mternity clinic in operation weekly for approximately five years. The proposed Perinatal Program will improve this clinic by providing early detection and supervision of expectant mothers with possible cc~plications of pregnancy. The program will provide for (1) addition of a public health n_n_lLEs~ and a half-time nutritioni~ (2) increase in physician time spent in the clinic, and (3) accepting physician referrals for services to indigent high risk maternity patients frcm neighboring Stanly County which has no high risk clinic. There should be no more than ten referrals per year frc~ Stanly County. Special emphasis will be placed on the early identification of the high risk infant in utero. Funds will be available for specialized lab tests to monitor problems. Presently these lab tests are not obtained by our pregnant patients simply because khey cannot afford them. An interdisciplinazy team approach to the care of these high risk maternity patients will be an aid in rendering cc~prehensive rather than fragmented cere. After delivery the process which started with the first visit by the pregnant mother will have ccme full circle when the infant is identified and referred beck to our health departn~nt as part of our high priority infant identification and tracking program, and continued medical supervision for mother and infant.