and support program.
Prenatal, first time parents, and some second time parents may be eligible for our Healthy Families program and included Doula Services.
Healthy Families is a voluntary, free parent education and support program that offers home visiting to eligible first time parents (and some second time parents). Home visiting offers new parents support around pregnancy, child development, parenting, school readiness, health, and community resources. Our Healthy Families Illinois-Shawnee Health program serves families in Jackson, Perry, Franklin, and Williamson Counties. The program has been serving families in Southern Illinois since 1994 and is funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services. We are nationally accredited by Healthy Families America.
We now have doula services available for pregnant families who enroll with us at or before 7 months of pregnancy. Families must be enrolled in our Healthy Families program in order to qualify for doula services.
A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to a mother before, during, and after childbirth. Our doula can help expectant families prepare for their labor and delivery experience, offer non-medical support during labor and delivery, and provide post-partum education and support, including breastfeeding support and newborn and maternal health education for 6-8 weeks postpartum.
Our long term Family Support Specialists provide ongoing home visiting support to enrolled families from pregnancy through the child’s fifth birthday.
Eligible parents may enroll and begin receiving services from our Healthy Families program during pregnancy, or by the time their child is three months old.
Families do not have to be Shawnee Health Service patients to participate in our Healthy Families program, though we certainly encourage eligible Shawnee Health Service patients to learn more and see if Healthy Families support would benefit them!
For information on enrolling in our Healthy Families program, contact:
Shannon Green, Program Coordinator at sgreen@shsdc.org, (618) 519-9466
A program of Shawnee Alliance.
Check out “Conversations with the Doula.”
“Conversations with the Doula” is a weekly Facebook Live series, led by Rebecca Konecek, Doula & Enrollment Supervisor with Healthy Families-Shawnee Health. Rebecca is a Certified Doula and a Certified Lactation Consultant. She works with families to plan their ideal birth through education and support.