Our Daily Show Interview! Vitality and the New Partnership with CYHS
GODFREY/GRANITE CITY - Vitality Women’s Clinic has partnered with Coordinated Youth and Human Services to offer healthcare, food and breastfeeding assistance to local families.
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Vitality Women’s Clinic is a Godfrey-based pregnancy center that works with new and expectant parents. They offer free pregnancy and STI tests and ultrasounds; as a pro-life, faith-based clinic, they do not refer for or perform abortions. Out of Granite City, Coordinated Youth and Human Services (CYHS) helps people navigate Women, Infants and Children (WIC) resources in addition to offering healthcare home visits, breastfeeding support and more.
Going forward, CYHS staff members will be at Vitality twice a month to engage with their patients and help them connect to resources. Jackie Duty, Vitality’s executive director, looks forward to this collaboration and believes it will help more families in need.
“How can we help people be successful in every area of life?” Duty said. “We specialize in this one area, but we recognize that the person is a whole person with all of these things. If we can help them begin to access all of these systems to help them create systems of success…we can shift the trajectory of their lives.”
Jennifer Hobson with CYHS shared that the organization regularly helps people navigate WIC benefits. In fact, that’s how Hobson was first introduced to the program as a young mom herself. Now, she helps other parents understand their eligibility, fulfill the requirements, and meet the program’s goals so they can receive benefits.
CYHS also offers a breastfeeding peer counseling program, where breastfeeding parents can talk to each other and act as “cheerleaders.” Everyone at CYHS has some level of training in breastfeeding support. Their team is happy to talk with you about breastfeeding and formula feeding and support you no matter which direction you decide to go.
There are a few home visiting programs through CYHS. A nurse can come to your home to check on the parent and baby’s health, which is especially helpful if either is facing a new diagnosis.
The organization takes a “wraparound approach,” Hobson said, and can help people through a variety of challenges. They regularly encounter families who are struggling with housing, transportation, nutrition or other difficulties. They have several resources available in-house, or they can help you connect to other nonprofits and organizations as needed.
Hobson expressed her gratitude for every parent who engages with CYHS. She recognizes that it can be difficult to take that first step, but the organization is eager to work with parents to help keep all generations of the family healthy.
“It takes a lot to come into an office to say, ‘I need help to feed my baby,’” Hobson said. “I think what’s really rewarding for me, to meet families where they’re at. There’s no judgment. We’re just here to help. The program participants that we serve really want to do the best job that they can for their pregnancy, for their families. We’re just trying to partner with those moms and dads to help them be successful.”
Duty echoed Hobson and added that she is excited to welcome CYHS into Vitality’s space in Godfrey twice a month. She hopes both organizations can come together to support community members through their pregnancies and beyond.
“We want to be that resource for the community,” Duty said. “We need each other. Nobody can walk this alone. When you’re focused on one area, but you have access to all these other areas and all these other people that are specialized in their area, together, we can change landscapes. I think that people can know that they’re in a community that truly cares and truly wants to see them win. That understanding just changes everything.”
For more information about Coordinated Youth and Human Services, visit their official website. To learn more about Vitality Women’s Clinic, including how to schedule an appointment, check out their official website. To donate toward Vitality’s ongoing capital campaign, visit their official ambassador’s website.
This featured article is sponsored by Vitality Women's Clinic. To get your business or organization featured on www.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
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