Fostering Resilience in Pregnancy and Early Childhood During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The HUGS/Abrazos Program Design and Implementation

Frontiers in Public Health

Meghan E. Perkins¹  Sarah N. Price¹  Fernanda Neri Mini¹  William Lopez¹  Meisui Liu²  Elsie M. Taveras³  Alexy Arauz Boudreau⁴  Carlos Torres⁴  Gracia M. Kwete⁵  Mary Lyons Hunter⁶  Maria Yolanda Parra⁶  Amy Izen⁷ 

[1]Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, United States

[2]Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, United States

[3]Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States

[4]Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, United States

[5]Kraft Center for Community Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

[6]Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States

[7]Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, United States

[8]MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center, Chelsea, MA, United States

[9]Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA, United States

[10]MGH Revere HealthCare Center, Revere, MA, United States

[11]MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center, Chelsea, MA, United States

[12]MGH Chelsea HealthCare Center, Chelsea, MA, United States

[13]Center for Community Health Improvement, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

关键词: COVID-19;    toxic stress;    resilience;    pregnancy;    early childhood;    patient navigation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2021.633285

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Pregnancy and early childhood pose unique sensitivity to stressors such as economic instability, poor mental health, and social inequities all of which have been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In absence of protective buffers, prolonged exposure to excessive, early adversity can lead to poor health outcomes with significant impact lasting beyond the childhood years. Helping Us Grow Stronger (HUGS/Abrazos) is a community-based program, designed and launched at the time of the COVID-19 surge in the Spring of 2020, that combines emergency relief, patient navigation, and direct behavioral health support to foster family resilience and mitigate the negative impacts of COVID-related toxic stress on pregnant women and families with children under age 6. Through a targeted referral process, community health workers provide resource navigation for social needs, and a social worker provides behavioral health support. The use of innovative tools such as a centralized resource repository, community health workers with specialized knowledge in this age range, and a direct referral system seeks to assist in streamlining communication and ensuring delivery of quality care. We aim to serve over 300 families within the 1st year. The HUGS/Abrazos program aims to fill an important void by providing the necessary tools and interventions to support pregnant women and young families impacted by adversity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

【 授权许可】

CC BY