FOR HUMAN SERVICE PROVIDERS

Just being pregnant doesn’t flip a switch in a woman’s brain that makes her suddenly just pregnant.  If she worried before about being HIV positive, she is still  more worried about HIV than about her pregnancy.  If she is struggling with alcohol or cocaine, those struggles don’t disappear.  There may be a long list of things that she worries about before she worries about being pregnant.  So many women who most need our services do not knock on our door and do not readily open when we knock on theirs.  

Outreach workers and social workers, however, know these women and earn their trust.  So it is very important that they have the knowledge, the tools, the skills to identify risks, provide quality information, and make appropriate referrals.

Training Opportunities:

• Quarterly networking sessions at which representatives from a wide variety of agencies share information about their programs and make connections that will facilitate effective and efficient referrals.
• Quarterly “Lunch and Learn” sessions at which experts in some aspect of perinatal health present practical information that will enhance the support offered to pregnant and parenting women.
• Semi-annual mini-conferences present speakers and workshops on topics in perinatal health
• A major full-day conference each year explores a single subject in depth

For a list of planned training sessions and to get information on how to register, click here.

For resources to assist in finding services and making effective referrals, click here.