photo voice -- maternal child and family health coalition

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Distress and Hope:A Collection o Words and Images bySt. Louis Healthy Start Participants


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Acknowledgments

We are grateul to the Healthy Start participants who shared their insights

through the photographs and quotes eatured in this report.


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St. Louis has the tragic distinction

o holding one o the highest inant mortality

rates in the United States. O every one

thousand babies born in the city o St. Louis,

12 will not live to see their frst birthday.

12.5% o babies in St. Louis are born at a lowbirth weight, which is a major risk actor or

their health and survival.

The St. Louis Healthy Start Project seeks

to reduce these high inant mortality rates,

educating and empowering parents to give

their children a healthy start in lie. Through apartnership o the Maternal Child and Family

Health Coalition and the Nurses or Newborns

Foundation, the Healthy Start Project uses a

ederal grant to provide comprehensive case

management to at least 100 amilies. Services

ocus on three urban zip codes - 63113,

63120, and 63136 with particularly high

health risks.

The Healthy Start Project ocuses on getting

women into prenatal care early in the

pregnancy and promotes positive prenatal

health. Early entrance into prenatal care is the

single most critical actor in improving birth

outcomes. Healthy Start also works to meet

amilies basic needs in other areas o their

lives, such as nutrition, housing, and psycho-social support. A unique part o the Healthy

Start Project is the mentoring provided by

women in the community who serve as

outreach workers and home visitors, some o

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them ormer Healthy Start clients themselves.

This approach works because mothers

respond to other women who have walked

in their shoes.

The PhotoVoice Empowerment Initiative was

developed as part o the Healthy Start Projects

mentoring eorts. PhotoVoice teaches Healthy

Start clients to use photography to express

their neighborhoods needs in a compelling

and powerul way that community leaders

can better understand and address. Thanks to

unding rom the St. Louis Boeing Employees

Community Fund, the PhotoVoice Empower-

ment Initiative was able to supply clients with

disposable cameras and photography tutorials,

enabling them to tangibly show how health

and prosperity are out o reach in their

communities.

The images that resulted rom the PhotoVoice

Empowerment Project provide a window into

the daily challenges that Healthy Start clients

ace. Their concerns center on saety in their

surroundings, and how this issue precludes

optimal health or themselves and their

amilies. Too oten, their neighborhoods lack

access to existing resources. I poverty policies

change or new programs are introduced, these

barriers to health and saety could be elimi-

nated. PhotoVoice results reveal the impact o

economic development on amilies, and the

stark contrast between impoverished areas and

neighboring communities.

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Images of Neighborhood Risks:

What needs changingThrough these photographs o their neighborhoods, Healthy Start participants show

the health risks and physical dangers they ace every day. A major concern is diculty

accessing transportation or local resources. Living in these circumstances oten makes

participants eel depressed or rustrated.

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...people walk by with their kids... kids like to run up and down the street.

They dont even have to do anything. Now, what i they are running by,

and they just get hit with a brick, or a big rat comes out...? Carolyn

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Thats my old elementary school, and this just shows how they changed the ront o it, but

the school is really torn down. The windows are messed up, and to see an old school like

that makes you eel like Man! you wish they would do something about it.

Kendra

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The neighborhood... this house is just saying help me!... Its dangerous, and when you are

walking by at night... you dont know whos gonna come outta that gangway... you dont

know whos gonna come out a grab you. You could kill somebody and put them in

there and wouldnt nobody know... Kendra

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Trash. People just dont care. Nasty. Unsanitary. Unhealthy...

Makes you eel disgusting... think about things beore

you do them, dont be so impulsive.

Lisa

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That was where you would go get you a tripe rom there... You cant go there and get ood

no more, tripe, nothing. It closed down, I guess, because they just couldnt keep the business

open... Then somebody else came in, and they couldnt keep it open, so I guess nobody else

wanted to try to take it over because they kept getting broken into... Theres not anyplace

or anyone to walk to to get something to eat... Kendra

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Everyday movement... rushing to go places, to go to work, or a doctors appointment...

People be so busy everyday... and a busy worker dont even realize the signicance o

what that secretary does or them... people working two three jobs at a time dont even

realize their kids are there... Carolyn

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They stole my moms car. The door is messed-up where they stole it and they

messed-up the transmission. It made me upset, more upset. Because thats

the only transportation that we had.

Kendra

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This is an Arican American womanwith a guitar, sitting at the bus stop. This is Chestereld

I sense peacetiredwant to get home. People are just passing her by, looking at her. I know,

because they be looking at meIt takes me about 3 hours just to get to work. I gotta catch

3 busses, or 2 busses and a train just to get to workYou can get a lot rom body language

Carolyn

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Images of Peace:

What the neighborhood could beThrough these photos, Healthy Start participants voice how they wish their

neighborhoods looked. Being in nature, with animals, or just in a clean,

sae environment makes participants eel at peace.

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no trash!...the comort o your home, the saety o your homeThis is the scene I would like to see in my neighborhood instead o trash;

bars on my windows and doors to eel sae.

-Carolyn

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Horses, animals,building relationshipswith animals, thatcan make the bondsstronger with humans.This representsreedom. Just lookat him!

Lisa

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This is Clarkson Square PlazaThis is signies peaceShe loves fowers

she enjoys her jobshe gave [my son] a pumpkin!

Carolyn

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Peace and happiness. I you pay attention to this picture, its like the sky and the ocean.

The sun is shining right on me. Peace love and happiness. Content. Cool, calm and collected.

You been at work all day, then youre at home by yoursel, and see this

Carolyn

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Images of Love:

Sources of comfort and strengthDespite their discouraging surroundings, Healthy Start participants nd

many sources o joy and courage, especially rom the little things in lie.

Family, riendships, and strong sel-esteem are invaluable.

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Companionship.

Protective, and shesthere. Its like sheknows. Shes therewhen no one elseis there.

Lisa

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In this picture, Terrells wie is talking to people in the community about St. Louis

Healthy Start and is trying to see i anyone wants to participate. She is helping build a

better uture or their community by bringing the members o the community

together. This photo makes Terrell proud because his wie is trying to help others and

is representing their amily in a great way with her wonderul work.

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This photo was taken at a baby shower shortly beore the birth o Terrells rst biological

son. For Terrell, this cake signies the pride o being the ather o a son. Many dierent

people rom dierent communities came together to celebrate the birth o a new human,

capturing all o the potential and joy that the birth o this little baby has.

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Taking your children places, and having un, enjoying the moments you wont

get back. The memories, because when you get old, thats all you have

is your memories.

Lisa

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This is the joy o a babys artwork. Peace. You, know art can be anything, it can be a million

things, no matter who does it. No matter i its scribble-scrabble. Its still creative

This is in MY room! Its important or people to see that mothers take pride in the childrenThis lets you know that hes learning... Carolyn

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My mother loves me and my children no matter what may happen. I could kill

somebody and go to jail, but regardless, I know my mother would still take care

o my children. Loving support.

Lisa

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Queen. Natural. Just natural beauty. No makeup.

Hair natural. No guns allowed.

Lisa

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Thank you to Sarah LaVigne, intern with Nurses for Newborns Foundation, or writingand editing the introductions and or shaping how the photos are presented.


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Maternal, Child and Family Health Coalition of Metropolitan St. Louis

539 N. Grand Blvd., Suite 403 St. Louis, MO 63103

Phone: (314) 289-5680 Fax: (314) 289-5681

www.stl-mchc.org

A P A R T N E R S H I P O F

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photo voice -- maternal child and family health coalition

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