August 26, 2016
Registered nurse Jeannine Motokado holds a plastic model of a baby in utero; it’s proven helpful in communicating visual information on labour and delivery to moms-to-be who don’t speak English.
Story by Kerri Robins; photo courtesy Tom Gillespie
BROOKS — Brooks & District Health Foundation has been in ‘labour’ for years helping the maternity clinic at the Brooks Health Centre to thrive.
Over the last five years, the foundation has partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart in their Shoppers Love You campaign in support of the health centre’s growing maternity clinic that runs two days each week.
“We saw a need for expectant moms in our community,” says foundation chair Cindy Simpson. “We wanted to provide maternal care here at home, without some of our expectant moms having to travel to Medicine Hat Regional Hospital for different types of prenatal care and treatment; because traveling can be tough sometimes.”
Having raised more than $30,000 for maternal care in Brooks since 2011, the Shoppers Love You campaign — formerly the Tree of Life Campaign — is dedicated to women’s health. This year it runs Sept. 10 through Oct. 7.
Past funds have benefited maternal care through the purchase of a Panda infant warmer, a fetal monitor and a set of visual aids that includes models, posters, books and CDs to help health staff bridge language gaps and barriers with patients.
The visual aids cost about $9,000 and help expectant and new moms who don’t speak English to get the information they need to better care for themselves and baby during pregnancy, labour and delivery.
They help to circumvent language barriers, says registered nurse Jeannine Motokado, because: “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Motokado works at Brooks Health Centre in the maternity clinic two days a week, and in acute care the balance of the week.
“We serve a large area in southern and central Alberta with a diverse population that speaks more than 100 different languages,” says the 32-year nursing veteran.
The idea to communicate to new moms visually, instead of in print, in some cases, came to Motokado about three years ago as the perfect way to meet a need.
“We needed something for everybody and had to cover a wide range of information and timeframes,” she says. “For example, what moms need to know during each stage of pregnancy, in terms of proper nutrition, fetal development and what to expect physically.
“We also teach moms proper diaper care and breastfeeding techniques using CDs, books and flipcharts.”
The aids aren’t just for first-time moms — and can be used for any maternity care client who struggles with the English language. The visual aids offer a nice set of tools for extra teaching opportunities when staff needs them.
“In some cases,” says Motokado, “the visuals help us reassure mom that all is well, so that’s kind of nice.”
The materials arrived in October 2015 and have been instrumental in helping women understand what they need to know during and after pregnancy.
Shoppers Love You has raised more than $29 million for women’s health across Canada since 2002.
“I’m happy the funds raised during this campaign every year are staying locally,” says Larry Pratt, pharmacist-owner of the Brooks Shoppers Drug Mart. “I’m proud to be supporting women’s health in our community.”
“We’re really fortunate to have such a great partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart,” adds Simpson, “and we value the commitment and dedication they’ve brought to women’s health in our community. We look forward to this campaign every year.”
For more information, or to make a donation, visit: www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/brooks-and-district-health-foundation
