Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network of South Central New York

The 2022-23 fiscal year (7/1/22- 6/30/23) has been one with many surprising and momentous opportunities and milestones. In seeking broome county support for the initial year operational costs of a New pal center, the broome county executive suggested apra funds might be available for a capital purchase. This was an absolute godsend for our agency as our current facility was in rapid deterioration. In october, we began to negotiate for a location that could house not only the New pal center but could also accommodate our entire agency and allow for future growth. In january '23, we signed an agreement to purchase 338 & 346 grand avenue in johnson city and closed on the property 5/26/23! Everyone at m&b is incredibly grateful for the support of broome county, the town of union and the decker foundation for their support to help with the purchase of the property. As we closed out the 6/30/23 year end; renovations were rapidly underway and our target move-in date is 7/28/23. The other major milestone our agency is planning for is the retirement (scheduled for 9/30/23) of the founding executive director, sharon chesna. Ms. chesna has led the agency for 31 years starting first with the informal healthy Mothers, healthy Babies coalition of scny and incorporating m&bpn in july 1995. Under her leadership, m&bpn has grown from a budget of $125,000(1995) and staff of 1 to the current budget of over $2.4 million with a talented and dedicated staff of 28 employees. Highlights of 2022-2023:m&bpn's community health workers (chws) work with women of reproductive age and their families. Chws provide visits in the hospital and at home and offer education, emotional support, help to find medical and health supportive resources in the community, provide parenting education and help address individual needs of families such as: housing, financial support, food, diapers, formula and clothing. Chws helped 722 women find a provider or other health supportive professionals, identify family planning options, find housing, set & achieve goals. We continue to be the cny chapter of the national cribs for kids program through which we distributed cribs to 108 families and provided safe sleep education to 357 families this year. Through our health insurance programs our nys-certified navigators provide free help and guide people through the application process from start to finish. Every day, with navigators' assistance, individuals/families/small businesses are able to find an affordable high-quality plan with free preventive care, and options for no/low premiums and no/low out of pocket costs. This year, navigators helped 5,186 adults and children, including 166 pregnant women, gain coverage through plans on the nys marketplace. Our community health advocate (cha) disputes coverage denial and helps people resolve medical billing, apply for prescription assistance programs, and ensures clients get the most from their coverage. This year 586 clients were helped through cha , resulting in a collective savings of $383,517! Our adolescent pregnancy prevention programs are all-inclusive and provide a full range of education which includes abstinence and comprehensive sexual health education; methods to reduce risky behaviors, prevent pregnancy, stds and hiv. Our life skills programs focus on healthy relationships, financial literacy, adolescent development, and career success to help teens develop to their full potential. Our youth educators held 231 classroom programs for middle and high school youth in broome, tioga and otsego counties. The youth staff also began offering life skills programs for both male and female inmates at the broome county jail. Sessions include anger management, conflict resolution, mental health, healthy relationships, and domestic violence. All programs have been well received, with many of the attendees expressing New awareness of how to manage these issues and/or expressing realization of how these issues have impacted their lives and behavior. Through our family support services, we support parents and families, promoting positive parent/child interaction, addressing families' needs and connecting them to resources. Our pal center is a safe and welcoming place where staff provide non-judgmental support, education and connect families with resources. During fy 22-23, over 300 families served by the pal center reported an increase in positive engagement with children in their care. 79 parents engaged in 814 supervised visits at the pal center, year, 148 families accessed the clothing closet for 375 children. Through the pal center we also provide emergency diapers for families on a monthly basis. During the past year, 289 diaper requests were submitted and fulfilled. We are proud to again report that Mothers & Babies continues to be recognized as a strong and successful organization within our region and in New York state. Our mission remains: to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes and to promote the optimal health and development of individuals and families. We focus on reducing infant mortality and morbidity, improving pregnancy and birth outcomes, and promoting and supporting families. We continue to acknowledge our success is the result of the vision and leadership of our board of directors and the expertise and dedication of our staff. Everyone at m&b is honored that nys, other government agencies, foundations and donors believe in the mission of our agency and the work we do. Our sincerest thanks to everyone who supports us. Please visit our website: www.mothersandbabies.org for more information about our programs and to access our annual report.