MOMS OC and Hoag receive grant to help at-risk mothers and babies

Santa Ana-based nonprofit MOMS Orange County recently received a $72,693 grant from the HealthCare Foundation for Orange County (HFOC) with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian as the hospital partner. The grant was part of HFOC’s 2017 Grant Awards and will be used to support the MOMS Orange County’s Pregnancy and Diabetes Program by providing diabetes screenings, prevention education and support to at-risk mothers and babies.

“We are deeply grateful to The HealthCare Foundation for Orange County and our partners at Hoag for their continued support and commitment to our programs and the families we serve,” said MOMS Orange County CEO Pam Pimentel, RN. “This grant will help us to screen for and prevent high-risk pregnant women from developing gestational diabetes and improve birth outcomes for the families we serve.”

According to a 2011 Orange County Health Care Agency report, gestational diabetes was the common, serious prenatal condition, affecting more than 7 percent of pregnancies or 1 in 14 women. Unfortunately, like other forms of type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes is most prevalent in low-income and minority populations. Risks of gestational diabetes to both mothers and babies are extensive and include prematurity, excessive birth weight, high blood pressure, respiratory distress syndrome and other problems. Both mother and baby are at risk for type 2 diabetes later in life and babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes have nearly double the risk of becoming obese in childhood.

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MOMS Orange County’s Pregnancy and Diabetes Program is designed to prevent high-risk pregnant women from developing gestational diabetes and improve birth outcomes for babies born to high-risk and diabetic mothers. Women involved in the nonprofit’s program are provided with pregnancy and diabetes prevention education and self-management support through risk screenings, culturally and linguistically competent in-home health visits, and targeted group classes in Spanish and Vietnamese.

MOMS Orange County is expecting to serve approximately 2,000 mothers and 1,500 babies living in Central Orange County during the grant period.

“Hoag is honored to partner with MOMS Orange County on such an pivotal program that is improving the lives of at-risk pregnant women and babies in our community,” said Gwyn P. Parry, M.D., director, Department of Community Health and Community Benefit Programs at Hoag.

The HealthCare Foundation was formed in 1999 and is dedicated to funding effective, preventative health programs for women and children through independent and collaborative grant making activity.

“This year’s grant cycle was extremely competitive with an exceptional list of foundations positively contributing to the community,” said David Dobos, chair of the Grants Committee for HFOC. “We are fortunate to have such strong organizations in Orange County that are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and women and we are pleased to invest in MOMS Orange County’s programs to help families have healthy babies.”