Menu
GCGH partners with Four Rivers for improved Baby Bundles program
An October 24 partnership between Greene County General Hospital and the Four Rivers Resource Services aims to improve the Legacy Project-winning Sweet Dreams Baby Bundles program.
Instead of the sturdy cardboard box, which held the items and doubled as a bassinet, mothers will now receive a Graco Pack-n-Play. Four Rivers, which focuses on resources for individuals with disabilities and other challenges, is also providing handcrafted baby bags for new mothers and their children.
“We loved the sweet boxes our first Sweet Dreams mamas received, but we wanted to do something that would last longer,” said OB Nurse and Baby Bundles coach Brooke Driscol. “After working with these ladies, it became clear that if we could do more we should. Thankfully we received some grant money that has allowed us to provide something more lasting.”
Driscol was referring to grant funding from Indiana’s Safety PIN (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) program from the Indiana State Department of Health, which awarded $250,000 in funds in 2016 to support the Baby Bundles Program over the following four years.
“Winning that grant money and now partnering with Four Rivers on these baby bags will keep the Bundles going strong for a while and help us keep more babies healthy,” said Driscol.
The Sweet Dreams Baby Bundles program, which began in 2014, earned the Indiana Bicentennial Commission’s official Legacy Project Seal as well as the Tony and Mary Hulman Innovative Public Health Program award by the Indiana Public Health Association.
The program helps fight Indiana’s high infant mortality rate through safe sleep practices, prenatal care, breast-feeding instruction, and smoking cessation for mothers. Women can enter the program during their first trimester of pregnancy. Participants meet three times with an OB Nurse at the hospital, and after delivery, go home with a wealth of supplies to help the new family have a healthy start. Applications are available at participating physical offices and online at GreeneCountyHospital.com.
“At Four Rivers, we love to work with other organizations to create meaningful work and life experiences for the people we support,” said Mary Berkshire, Industrial Division Director at Four Rivers Resource Services. “The group working on the Baby Bundles bags have been very proud of their contribution, and we all look forward to continuing this collaboration with the hospital.”