Franklin County Health Department Launches new program to support mothers

After receiving a grant from the state, Franklin County Health Department launched a new program to support moms.

The goal is to reduce infant mortality rates. Franklin County’s infant mortality rate is higher than those of the state and the country.

“Looking at that and realizing that was such a problem, we really had to focus on, ‘what are the contributing factors to infant mortality?’” said Allison Saad. She is the program coordinator for Reducing Infant Mortality in Communities.

She worked closely with Elane Edwards, the lead health educator, to get a better grasp on the needs of the county.

“There really wasn’t any breastfeeding support in Franklin County,” Edwards said.

That was just one of many issues they were able to identify. Together, they came up with ways to address those problems and come up with solutions: classes for new and postpartum moms, free of charge.

These new initiatives are funded through a 3-year Reducing Infant Mortality in Communities grant from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. It was awarded to Franklin County last December. Each year, the department will receive $200,000.

“This is probably the largest grant that we, as health department, have received before,” Edwards said.

The program aims to educate and support mothers on how to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related causes of infant death. The program also helps mothers learn the basics and benefits of breastfeeding. Edwards said they are also in the process of creating a one-on-one program.

“It’s something that’s never really been done here in Franklin County,” she said.

At the end of the classes, moms receive baby items, like Boppy pillows, Pack ‘n Plays and breast pumps. The program also provides resources and referrals to other services that can help mothers and their babies.

“We have a lot of items to prep those moms who might not have their items at home to create a safe space for their baby to sleep at night,” Saad said.

Saad said they are capping their class sizes to 25 in order to make sure each mom gets the attention she needs. Classes started in July and will take place at multiple locations each month over the next three years. The next class is scheduled for August 8.

For more information about this grant or the Health Department, contact Allison Saad at (919) 496-2533.