Dando a Luz - Jason Morgenson

Project Summary:

I am working on building up the Dando a Luz program at the Med school. The program matches pregnant women who speak only Spanish with medical students who speak Spanish. The students are expected to attend the mother's prenatal visits, birth, and 3 months of well-baby visits. Emphasis is placed on the student forming a relationship with the mother and her family, helping her with any needs she has, and placing her in contact with community resources if she needs them. Students speak Spanish, but are not supposed to be interpreters for the mothers.

I chose this project because it is manageable within my medical student career and addressed a community need in which I am interested. There are not many Spanish speaking doctors in Madison, and for a woman who speaks only Spanish, birth can be a scary experience. The program attempts to make the birthing experience better for the women by hooking them up with medical students who speak Spanish.

The main person I have been working with to organize the program is Lynne Cleeland, who is the faculty advisor for MoMS and Dando a Luz.

Major Steps Taken as of Dec. 99:

School year 1998-99

I participated in the Dando a Luz Program.
Led the Dando a Luz program (haphazardly after being put in charge), and made first contacts with Dr. Patricia Tellez (at Wingra, from Mexico), Mary Tejeda (Spanish Interpreter), and Centro Hispano.
Dr. Tellez and Mary Tejeda came to present noon hours on Hispanic Culture and Spanish Interpreters in Madison respectively.
Centro Hispano made referrals of 2 women to the Dando a Luz program.
My "mother" gave birth by C-section in March 1999.

School year 1999-2000

Noon hour introduction to the MoMS (English speaking) and Dando a Luz program at the Medical school in Sept. 1999.
Small group (Dando a Luz only) meeting with volunteers in Oct. 1999 to discuss the program, their background in Spanish, and any experience working with the Hispanic population.
Frequent contact with Lynne Cleeland to discuss ideas for the program, contacts, funding, etc.
Noon hour on Spanish Interpreters in Madison by Mary Tejeda in Oct. 1999.
Evening get-together with pizza and subs. Hispanic Culture Talk by Dr. Patricia Tellez (Wingra). Nov. 1999.
Frequent contact with matched volunteers to see how match is going.
Frequent contact with clinic coordinators to increase likelihood all volunteers will get matched.
Pursuing new sources of "mothers" to match with volunteers. These places include Dane County Connections, Prenatal Clinic at Meriter, Early Head Start.
Optional meetings for volunteers to come to discuss the new manual and resource packet. (see below) Nov. 1999
Dando a Luz manual (1999-2000), 1st edition. Student Manual includes information pertaining specifically to language and cultural barriers of the mothers. All general program topics are included in the MoMS Student Manual (1999-2000), also a first edition created by Megan Sarnecki and Lynne Cleeland.

Contents of the DANDO A LUZ MANUAL are as follows:

Welcome to Programa Dando a Luz
Hispanic Culture
Spanish Interpreters in Madison
Birthing Classes in Spanish
Free English Classes in Madison
Latino Social Services
Dando a Luz Resources for your "mother"
Medical Spanish Resources

APPENDIX

Hispanic Culture Articles
Spanish Birthing Class Registration Material (Reference Copies)
Free English Classes (Reference Brochures)
Dando a Luz Resources for your "mother" (Reference Copies)
Medical Spanish Resources Order Form

Please email me if you would like a copy of the manual. There is an accompanying packet of resources for the Dando a Luz mothers (which is listed in the manual).

Contents of the RESOURCE PACKET are as follows (Everything is in Spanish):

Brochures for the following items:

Dando a Luz program
Centro Hispano
Free English Classes in Madison
Spanish Birthing Classes at Meriter Hospital
Dane County Connections
WIC
Badger Care
Prenatal Care Coordination (MA benefit)
Healthy Start
"Safe Kids Buckle Up" (Carseat usage)

Student Information Sheet (for the mother)
Basic Madison Resource List
Community Resource Guide from Dane County Job Center
Map of Madison and Dane County (full size with street names and index)
Metro Bus System Map with Basic Madison Resource Locations labeled G. BOOK: "A book for midwives." Put out by the Hesperian Foundation. Cost is $19/book and these are offered to the women for $7 each. Covers prenatal care, birth, breastfeeding, family planning, and STDs. Includes drawings and written in easy to read Spanish.

Email me at jwmorgen@students.wisc.edu if you would like a copy of the resource packet as well. Volunteers are encouraged to verbally EXPLAIN any material in the packet that the mom might need before they give it to her. They are not encouraged to just give her the packet.

All of this is sort of a "snapshot" look at the program. Everything will be getting updated hopefully for next semester, and then again for next year. Other parts of the program, such as evaluations, further clinic contacts, etc. are still in the works.

Major Challenges

Not enough time to do everything. Solution: prioritize, do things in steps, not worry about doing everything, focus on what is possible and important to get done.
Too many resources to incorporate into the program. (People keep "throwing" things my way.) Solution: step back, take a deep breath, and do something else for awhile. The number of resources seems smaller when I come back. Solution 2: focus on incorporating the resources that are uniquely able to address problems of the women in the program. Solution 3: focus on resources with which the students can help the women connect.

Partnerships Developed

Dane County Connections, Centro Hispano

Funding

AMSA funds the MoMS and Dando a Luz program, but funds are limited. I am applying to LOCUS to cover some of the more experimental and expensive portions of the program (ie the books). Funding/Grant writing is on the agenda for next semester with Lynne Cleeland.

LOCUS's Role in Your Project

LOCUS has made me think seriously about doing a project or building one up. It's so easy to slack on something you don't feel entirely responsible for. Faculty has given me good feedback, including Michelle Grosch, Dr. Cindy Haq, and Dr. William Schwab. Feedback from LOCUS members last year (although my project was headed in a different direction last year) is always good. I like the supportive environment, retreats for reflection and learning, and responsibility.