CARE Maternal/Child Health Clinic

Far away from home ... a new life begins.

Picture yourself...

• Witnessing, or being subjected to, unspeakable acts of violence or warfare;
• Being forced to leave your homeland and your community of friends and loved ones;
• Finding yourself in a new country, where everything — the language, the grocery stores, the medical practices — is overwhelmingly foreign;
• And expecting a child.

This is the reality for hundreds of expectant refugee women relocating to southwestern Idaho each year, who face a great deal of uncertainty as they await the birth of their new baby.

Now, picture yourself...

Welcomed by a group of compassionate healthcare professionals, and a new community of your own people, who not only care about you—but who understand where you are coming from.

The CARE Maternal/Child Health Clinic delivers specialized healthcare and outreach to address the unique concerns — and traumatic histories — of expectant refugee mothers and their families. CARE assists newly arrived Americans to adapt to the challenges of pregnancy and parenting in a new home, while respecting and honoring their culture of origin.

CARE welcomes expectant mothers relocating from troubled regions across the globe, including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Refugee families often arrive with limited English proficiency, little understanding of “Western medicine” … and a great deal of fear and mistrust.

Utilizing the wisdom and experience of leaders within local refugee communities, the CARE project has successfully:

• Increased understanding between foreign-born patients and their obstetric teams, resulting in significant improvements in patient comfort, safety, and well-being;
• Improved access to a range of maternal/child health and pediatric services;
• Demonstrated healthier pregnancy outcomes among refugee women and improved health among their infants;
• Forged trusted relationships between refugee families and members of the hospital community.

For additional information, please contact:

CARE Clinic Manager
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
c/o the Family Center
1055 North Curtis Road, Boise, ID 83706
Phone: (208) 367-7380

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