March 2024 Update

Happy International Women's Day!

In March we also recognize and commemorate Women’s History Month, a designation formally approved by Congress in 1987. While it is important to acknowledge history makers during this time, it is just as valuable to recognize regular women pushing to make a difference every day for their generations and those who follow. It is in this spirit that the theme for 2024 Women’s History Month is Women who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

At Nurture KC, we witness the consequences of inequity in the lives of the families we serve every day, beginning with the qualifications for entry into our Healthy Start program. To qualify, Kansas City women must be pregnant and reside in one of 16 area ZIP codes with the highest rates of infant mortality. Invariably, these participants are women of color, navigating barriers of access and opportunity to which many of us are oblivious. From a programming perspective, we seek to minimize these barriers by acknowledging and acting upon them. 

Despite these efforts, structural and systemic hurdles continue, often put in place through public policy. In both Kansas and Missouri, there are pending proposals that would hinder or even prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Adoption of such policies threatens movement forward in establishing a culture and awareness of bias and racism along with actions to correct the practice. From a practical standpoint, the evidence is clear that health professionals from the communities served are vital to improving maternal and infant health outcomes. Legislation prohibiting the prioritization of a diverse work force as a vital piece in remedying our abysmal birth outcomes is a step backwards.

As with many of our country’s social movements, women often lead the way to change and this year’s Women’s History Month theme shows the foresight and uniqueness of that role. Let’s celebrate the masses of women who understand and want to push forward diversity, equity and inclusion as critical to the trajectory of women for decades to come.

Tracy Russell

Executive Director, Nurture KC

Announcing our latest Nurturing Safe Sleep Champion

Congratulations to AdventHealth South Overland Park on becoming a Nurturing Safe Sleep Champion for:

1) Adopting a safe sleep policy

2) Training staff on safe sleep procedures

3) Providing education to new parents

This initiative has been a top priority of our organization’s Kansas City Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Committee to reduce infant deaths from unsafe sleep. Educating parents on the importance of safe sleep is a benchmark in our Healthy Start Program. Through this initiative, we have a broader impact across the Kansas City metro for families who don’t receive Healthy Start services.

Improving Black Maternal Health

In honor of Black History Month in February, local leaders in Kansas City came together to discuss Black Maternal Health with Representative Sharice Davids. See how Nurture KC’s Executive Director, Tracy Russell, answered some of our community’s most pressing questions about how we are improving health outcomes for local moms – especially Black moms who are at greater risk of complications -- in this article on our web site.

Celebrating our Mother's Voice support group

Nurture KC took part in this event, "Love, friendship and mental health in the Hispanic community." We offer our "Mother's Voice" support group - in Spanish and English - for moms we serve through Healthy Start. Thanks to Gloria Medimburu, counselor for our Spanish-speaking moms, for sharing her insights at this special event! In the top photo, Gloria is pictured in the middle of Marcela Metcalf (pictured at left), our Lead Community Health Worker, and Maricela Sanchez (pictured at right), one of our Community Health Workers.

Supporting Immunizations for Maternal Health

Our Executive Director serves on the planning community for the Kansas Health Institute’s Echo Vaccine Series. For the series' latest webinar, "Immunizations for Maternal Health," Tracy Russell delivered the 20-minute didactic presentation and Marcela Metcalf served on the panel discussion - both providing insights about the importance of protecting both moms and babies through vaccination. Participants learned about vaccines recommended during pregnancy and how to address some common concerns about vaccine safety and ingredients. Below is a summary slide from the webinar:

Membership News

Welcome to new member, Jill DeWitt.

Thank you to our renewing member, Shelley Mayse.

Organizational membership renewals:

Children’s Mercy, Sustainer level