Beyond 9 Workshops

Flyer

Training FAQs

Health Ed. Resources

6 Week Postpartum Checklist

Tips for Good Health

"You Are Special" Class Curriculum

Survey Tools

Postpartum Health Survey

BF/PP Nutrition Questionnaire

Overview

The PHFE-WIC Program in California has improved the quality of care for postpartum WIC moms. Since 2007, PHFE-WIC has been promoting interconception health through their “WIC Offers Wellness” (WOW) Program. The WOW Program, funded by March of Dimes (2007-2010), provides care coordination services to low-income mothers who recently delivered a preterm and/or low birthweight baby. Women who deliver prematurely have a greatly increased risk of recurrent poor pregnancy outcomes, and this project is designed to lessen this risk through screening, health promotion and psychosocial intervention services. In addition, agency enhancements were made to integrate interconception care activities to reach all postpartum mothers.

Over the last decade, the nation has seen a significant rise in the number of infants born preterm. About 1 in 8 babies US-born babies was born too early. In the face of this increase in premature births, a focus on interconception care is emerging. This period of time between pregnancies is a prime time to improve support services for mothers. Particularly for high-risk women, the goal of interconception services is to provide specific strategies for risk reduction before the next pregnancy. PHFE-WIC interconception care activities are aimed to improve women’s health and promote reproductive life planning (planned pregnancies and child spacing) to achieve healthy birth outcomes and prevent future premature births. As families visit WIC through multiple pregnancies and WIC being one of very few services that low-income women access at least four times a year, the WIC Program has an unprecedented opportunity to improve the health of women, children and families.

PHFE WIC continues best practices from the WOW Program and is now promoting health and wellness with postpartum WIC mothers by providing interconception health Beyond 9 workshops to local agency WIC Programs throughout the State of California.

For more information on Beyond 9, please contact projects@phfewic.org.