- According to the 2022 Leon County Gap Analysis, 10.4% of babies have a low birth weight.
- Resources Saturday were gathered in one location at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s Baby and Family Fair.
- Doctors and others here tell me that the baby and family fair is needed and useful in the community.
Broadcast transcript:
Find resources for families and expectant mothers in one place.
I’m Terry Gilliam. I live in the northwest Tallahassee area.
Let’s take a look at how Baby and Family Fair can help with some of the challenges during pregnancy and early developmental parenting.
“As health care providers, it’s really hard to figure out how we can help everyone and how we can help each other,” said Dr. Astrid Gonzalez.
These challenges that Dr. Gonzalez discusses are relevant to women experiencing pregnancy. Families have resources for early childhood development in our neighborhood.
On Saturday, these resources came together in one location at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s Baby and Family Fair. Families and over 40 vendors from all over Leon County participated.
“There are so many gaps in care in our community,” Dr. Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez, a mother of two, told me she understands that Leon County lacks resources for children and pregnant women.
We looked at numbers from the 2022 Leon County Gap Analysis and found that 10.4% of babies were low birth weight.
Kim Outlaw, Women’s and Children’s Services Line Manager, notes this point.
“If we can take home one resource that can help with any need, that’s great,” said Kim Outlaw, Women’s and Children’s Services Line Manager.
Resources include your local OB/GYN office, WIC programs, and more.
“This has shocked many families throughout the community, across the region,” Outlaw said.
Gonzalez says she is excited to connect with the families in this community.
“All of these organizations seem to be here to let families know what we should do and how we can help,” Gonzalez said.
Doctors and others here tell me that the baby and family fair is needed and useful in the community.
