The Community Spotlight: Growing Opportunities

Rayven Moore
SAY Times Contributor

 

Growing Opportunities (GO) supports pregnant women and their babies by providing a comprehensive prenatal nutrition program. GO staff work to improve maternal and newborn health, reduce the incidence of low birth weight infants, support breastfeeding and strengthen community supports.
GO is a free and confidential weekly in-home visitation program. Expecting mothers are taught about their baby’s growth and development as well as nutrition and the importance of healthy relationships for themselves and for their baby.
Staff provide counselling for clients abusing substances during their pregnancy and teach about the affects of alcohol and drugs on the developing child. Pregnant women are also advised on issues such as housing, education, employment, and budgeting. GO staff may bring pregnant women prenatal vitamins, food hampers and community donated baby items.
Any woman aged 19 or younger is automatically accepted into the program. For others to be eligible for this program, clients must meet two possible risk factors, examples being: income level, lack of prenatal care, previous low birth weight, inadequate diet, poor pregnancy weight, low education, smoking, substance abuse, lack of social support, or first baby in Canada. GO provides services during the prenatal stages through birth until the baby is nine months old.
GO is primarily funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, but this does not provide enough support for the program’s full operations. The lack of funding makes it difficult for GO to address long-term goals and any gaps in the program. However, the group still manages to provide extensive programs for their clients through their many community partners.
The program has a strong team approach and the staff experience fulfillment through the positive impact they have on families in Strathmore and Wheatland County. It is common to have past clients pop into the office to share how GO has helped them work towards healthy lifestyle changes. In the past 18 years GO has aided 284 moms. For further inquires please contact May Rostecki-Budzey at 403-361-7216.