MCHA’s ‘Welcome Baby’ Program Gets the Bugs Out

December 28, 2016July 26, 2018 LA Best Babies Network

In her third trimester of pregnancy, Dalia enrolled in the free Welcome Baby program at Maternal and Child Health Access (MCHA), which works in partnership with California Hospital Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Living with her husband, a 21-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son, Dalia reported to her MCHA home visitor that bed bugs had invaded their home, leaving the family with itchy, burning bites. She had already reported the bed bugs to her landlord and to the public health department, but the landlord refused to address the problem and there was no immediate response from the health department. Naturally, Dalia worried how the bed bugs might harm her newborn baby.

Upon learning of the issue and the steps Dalia had taken, MCHA’s Welcome Baby director wrote a letter on behalf of the family, describing the risks of bed bug bites for newborns. The letter did the trick: the carpet was removed and replaced with tile, the bathroom water leaks were fixed, cracks in the wall and flooring were patched, and the bed bug infestation was treated by professionals.

In 2016, MCHA helped 1,102 women and their families welcome babies into safer, more supportive homes. The health benefits of Welcome Baby are documented here, but even these impressive results don’t tell the whole story. As this case demonstrates, the program’s home visitors, nurses, and other professionals take a broad approach to family support, often doing more than what might be expected of a maternal and infant health program.

Dalia says she is grateful for that.

Pregnant? Enroll in Welcome Baby!

If you are pregnant and plan to deliver at California Hospital in downtown L.A., call MCHA at 213-342-3127 to enroll in the free Welcome Baby program. Delivering elsewhere? Welcome Baby is offered at these 14 hospitals in L.A. County.