Better Health & Living: Article: Giving Infants a Fighting Chance

Issue: September 2008

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Giving Infants a Fighting Chance

Local clinic helps at-risk babies and their families

by Cheryl Winters-Tetreau

Published in Victoria, TX local spotlight | 0 Comments, Talk about this article »

When a baby is born with special healthcare needs in Victoria and surrounding counties, parents have a place to turn—the STAR (South Texas Assessment and Referral Services) Child Study Clinic in Victoria. Executive Director Ruthi Krier and her staff help parents navigate the medical system to get the help they and their infants need.

“Every family is met by our medical director and neonatologist, Marisol Ortiz, before they even leave the hospital,” says Krier. “Many of the babies are born prematurely and/or have a birth defect, which we now call a birth anomaly.” Hospitals and doctors refer these families to the clinic.

“Our first step is to do an assessment of the baby’s needs,” explains Krier. “Then we determine what services the family and baby require. Sometimes that means sending them outside the area for medical services that are only available in the bigger cities.”

State grants limit the clinic to serving an eight-county area: Victoria, Goliad, DeWitt, Gonzales, Lavaca, Jackson, Calhoun, and Refugio. At the end of May, the clinic was working with 1,536 children, ranging in age from newborn to 9 years.

“When parents first leave the hospital, they don’t know which way to turn,” says Krier. “The happy birth event they were anticipating has turned into a series of doctor visits, surgeries, and separation from their newborns. It’s a very frightening and confusing time for most parents, especially the young single mothers we often work with.”

infant

Continuity of Care

After the baby’s immediate needs are assessed, the clinic sets up a series of tests that take place at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months to determine hand-eye coordination, grasping, and other developmental milestones. Results are shared with the baby’s local pediatrician.

The clinic also provides much-needed supplies. “We have a lot of families living below the poverty level, and we are able to help them with things like preemie diapers and special formulas,” says Krier. There’s a community-supported Angel Room stocked with food for the entire family, diapers, cribs, car seats, and “all kinds of stuff that families need to get started with their babies,” Krier explains.

In addition, the clinic often helps young mothers find housing or go back to school and refers them to parenting classes and other resources. “We have a continually updated resource manual for each county that’s second to none,” says Krier.

The clinic not only acts as a resource clearinghouse for families, but it also provides transportation to appointments and checks with doctors to make sure that appointments have been kept. “Our ultimate goal is to do what’s best for the baby,” Krier says. “Often these young mothers are overwhelmed with the amount of care a premature baby needs, and we have to emphasize the importance of keeping all doctor appointments because the baby’s life depends on it.”

Krier says that while the task is often emotionally draining, the rewards are greater. “We get to watch these children develop and grow. One boy was born with spina bifida and weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces. His parents were told he would never walk. Today, he is using a walker, getting around just fine. Another boy was born with a hole in his esophagus and windpipe. His mother was a young teenager, and we helped her connect with a surgeon in Cincinnati who repaired the defect. Now the boy is school age and doing really well. His mother is married, and their life is good. Those are the kinds of success stories we work toward.”