Meet Maggie

Did you know moms who live in Kent County who give birth at Metro Health University of Michigan Health have the option to be referred to the Welcome Home Baby program? Read the story of one of the many families referred and connected to resources through the program!

Before being discharged, Maggie requested to be referred to the program for resources for her new son Leo. A community health worker from Health Net, Jennifer, called a few days after they had settled in at home. As Jennifer and Maggie chatted about how the program worked, Maggie shared that she had a history of depression and felt anxious about bonding with Leo. Unsure of whom to contact or if there were programs available in the area, Maggie was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Jennifer suggested early childhood attachment program that offers home visits with a therapist to help her bond with Leo. Maggie felt relieved to know there are resources for new mothers that shared her concerns. She was also happy to know she wouldn’t have to coordinate transportation to receive services. Jennifer connected Maggie to the program and promised to follow-up in a month to make sure the program was a good fit.

A month later, Jennifer called Maggie to see if the program was working well for their family. Maggie, feeling a bit discouraged, said she hadn’t heard from the program and wasn’t sure what had happened. Jennifer assured her they could work together to find why she hadn’t been connected yet. Jennifer called her contact for the program to see if there was more information on Maggie’s case.

A case worker had called Maggie but hadn’t received a call back to know if she was interested in the program or if she had connected with a different program. Jennifer shared that Maggie was still very interested in the services and gave Maggie the case manager’s phone number.

Several days later, Jennifer called Maggie to make sure she had been able to set up the home visits with the program. Maggie was thrilled to report that she had an appointment later that week to meet with the therapist. Jennifer asked if she had any other concerns and to call in the future if she needed help connecting to resources.

A few months later, Jennifer checked her voicemail and discovered Maggie had reached out to see if there were local organizations offering assistance for Christmas gifts. She explained that this year’s budget was tight and she wanted her kids to have gifts to open on Christmas morning. At the end of the message, Maggie said she was very happy with the program she had been connected with and felt much better with the extra support. Jennifer did some research and was able to connect their family to several organizations that were able to donate gifts.