Families, health professionals and community leaders gathered in downtown Buffalo Wednesday for the Buffalo Prenatal-Perinatal Network’s annual family conference.
Established in 1987, the network’s primary focus is to reduce infant mortality and low birth-weight infants.
The nonprofit provides two home-visiting women’s programs, a fatherhood program and a transportation initiative that helps expectant mothers get to their prenatal appointments.
CEO LuAnne Brown said all in all, they help around 1000 families each year.
"We work primarily in the east and west side of Buffalo, primarily with African American and Hispanic moms, because they have the worst outcomes unfortunately," she said.
The conference included sessions on mental health and families, co-parenting, women and cardiac health and a panel on fatherhood. Brown hopes the gathering also helps healthcare providers and agencies that work with families to navigate new challenges, including cuts to Medicaid and the loss of federal grants.
"This is a very tough time for nonprofits and the environment we're living in with the federal government," Brown said. "We're trying to work with the underserved populations which most nonprofits do. And I always wonder: who's going to take care of these people if we're not there? So we're trying to maintain the programs we have and continue to care for our moms."
For more information on the available programs for pregnant and parenting moms and dads, visit www.bppn.org.
