Poster: Resources for New and Expectant Parents

Written by Erin Norton, Director of Community Outreach, Parkview Health Women’s & Children’s Services:

According to the Indiana State Department of Health, in 2016 only 38.5% of Allen County women began receiving prenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy. There are countless reasons why this may be occurring, such as a lack of transportation, women don’t realize they are pregnant or perhaps they are unsure about their insurance coverage. Some women may not see the value in prenatal care, likely because they feel healthy and pregnancy is a natural process.

When I served as editor of the Fort Wayne Ink Spot Newspaper, I commissioned an all-illustration issue (May 30, 2019). Art either complemented the story or told the story as a full-page comic. For a story about prenatal care, I asked artist Vicki Junk-Wright to paint a piece featuring a first-time mother who received prenatal services. I later adopted the art for the poster and distributed copies to areas hit hardest by high infant mortality rates.