NMPP’s target communities of Central and East Harlem are characterized by significant disparities in perinatal outcomes compared to the city and national measures. The inclusion of the Certified Nurse midwife, Registered Dietitian, and Doula care into our program offerings aims to address the needs of these high risk women in our target area. The services of both clinicians and our doulas are designed to reduce  potential obstetric emergencies for our high risk pregnant women.

Clinical Services Under the Umbrella of Greater Harlem Healthy Start (GHHS):

Services provided by a Nurse Midwife

• Child Birth Education
• One on one consultation for pregnant women 
• Health Education Workshops on Early Signs of Obstetric Complications
• Health Monitoring (pulse, temperature, and blood pressure)

• Advise about, and support parents in, the daily care of their newborn babies
• Emotional support to cope with miscarriage, termination, stillbirth and neonatal death.

 Services provided by a Registered Dietician

• Assessment of clients’ health needs and diet
•  One-on-one meal plan development with the pregnant obese women
• Counseling clients on nutrition issues and healthy eating habits
• Nutrition Workshops
• Evaluate the effects of meal plans, and change the plans as needed

Service Areas/Zip Codes: 10026, 10027, 10029, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039.

Empowering Mothers Birth Rights Through Advocacy, Community and Education (EMBRACE)

EMBRACE is a partnership with New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYP). The program is designed to serve patients receiving obstetric care in the Ambulatory Care Clinics, NYP Allen Hospital, NYP Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. During their second or third trimesters, based on risks factors, patients are identified and referred to the EMBRACE program by either their OB provider or additional staff such as, nursing, health navigator (HN), or social workers.

Services

Unlike birth doulas, who assist mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, postpartum doulas step in when the baby is already born, and throughout the first six to eight weeks after birth. They teach the (supposedly natural but actually quite difficult to master) skills of soothing, bathing and breast-feeding infants.

Services by a Post-Partum Doula

• 4-6 weekly visits, including a childbirth plan session, if referred antenatal (before giving birth)
• Provide emotional support for the mental and physical wellbeing of mom during the post-partum period
• Address issues of postpartum depression
•  Assess for post-delivery complications
• Provide with breast feeding support
• Ensure patients attend their 1-2-week virtual postpartum visit and their 6th week in-person postpartum appointment.

Services provided by Health Navigator (HN)

• Screen referred patients for program eligibility
• Connect clients to education, doula, and CHW services
• Provide light navigation to patients that are not interested in the service of a Community Health Worker (CHW)

Services provided by a Community Health Worker (CHW)

• Conduct home/virtual visits and document engagement into the client records after each session
• Assess and address patient’s social determinants of health (SDO)
• Connect patients to community resources
• Ensure that patients are connected to a medical home
• Assist with scheduling medical appointments for mom and baby
• Ensure that mom and baby have health insurance if qualified
• Assist mom with any other unmet social needs or goals
• The CHW will work with mom until goals are completed

• Service Areas/Zip Codes: All five boroughs for patients receiving obstetrics services at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and Weill Cornell Medical Center (WCMC).