University of Michigan Flint to introduce program to support new mothers and enhance pediatric care

The University of Michigan Flint will soon be launching "Together in Flint: Strong Moms: Healthy Babies,” an initiative that seeks to improve pediatric care in the region. The program will give families access to education and early intervention to help their children thrive. It will be led by Lindsay Marquardt, who is a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at the university, as a means of expanding the university’s outreach beyond adult patients.

According to an article on the University of Michigan Flint’s website, Marquardt is quoted as saying of the initiative, "We have collaboration between occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and social work faculty and students. We are hopeful to have eventual resources like pelvic floor specialists and child librarians to promote early literacy. We're emphasizing the value of supporting the entire family, not just the child. This program is a first step in bringing dedicated pediatric services to local families."

The program aims to provide families, mothers, and children with support and education in the realm of pediatric physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work. The university will work to provide these services alongside community partners and collaborators, like Crossover Outreach and St. Luke's Church. Currently, the plan is to offer the program’s activities off campus so participants are within the community, making connections and finding the necessary services in their neighborhood.

Marquardt worked with Amy Yorke, who is a professor of physical therapy, and Donna Fry, who is the dean of the College of Health Sciences, to bring the program to fruition. Marquardt drew inspiration for the program from a similar effort in another community. Fry explained, "Professor Marquardt was highly successful with a similar program in the Saginaw community and wanted to build this type of programming here in Flint to support new mothers.”

Marquardt is still ironing out all of the details and gathering community organization support, but several aspects of the program are planned, including sessions that address childhood development milestones and monthly support groups for mothers. Among the planned milestone sessions are those that address feeding transitions, safe sleeping, fine motor skill development, and general health.

"Our goal is to give mothers confidence in understanding their child's development. We want to make sure they know when and how to seek the right help, if they need it,” said Marquardt. "Often, a lack of understanding or generational knowledge can lead to missed opportunities for early treatment. We want parents to have current, evidence-based information so they know when to talk to their doctor or when an issue is part of normal development."

Physical therapy students at the university will be involved in the program as it rolls out. This is a bonus of the program, Marquardt noted, that these students will receive hands-on experience in the realm of pediatric therapy.

Program organizers plan to have participants take surveys both before and after their participation in order to gauge the effectiveness of the program’s content and offered resources.

For more information about the University of Michigan Flint, visit the school’s website.