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BBF offers inaugural ‘Elevate Conference’
SIKESTON — Bootheel Babies and Families, or BBF, hosted on Thursday, June 20 its first conference dedicated to advanc ing maternal and infant health in the Bootheel region of Missouri.
The inaugural, “Elevate Conference,” took place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Miner Convention Center in Miner, Missouri.
For more than a decade, BBF has collaborated with organizations across the region to address critical issues causing infant mortality and poor maternal health.
According to Morgan Nesselrodt, who serves on the Board of Drectors for Bootheel Babies and Families, the conference highlighted accomplishments, addressed ongoing challenges and fostered collaboration among professionals committed to improving healthcare outcomes for mothers and babies.
Nesselrodt said the conference’s keynote speaker, Christin Simpson, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, championed BBF’s vital work.
Other conference speakers included Zariyea Moore and Robert Fruend. Moore and Fruend discussed the challenges and opportunities for young mothers in the Delta region.
Bootheel Babies and Families is a non-profit organization that works collaboratively to improve maternal and infant health in Scott, Stoddard, Mississippi, New Madrid, Dunklin, and Pemiscot counties.
One of the conference’s highlights was a panel discussion on the role of doulas.
Nesselrodt said a doula is a non-medical provider who assists mothers during childbirth.
“Something that we are really trying to raise awareness about, which is somewhat new to the area, is our doulas,” Nesselrodt said. “We are really excited that doulas are being raised up and being accepted.”
According to Nesselrodt, BBF began by providing direct services to expectant and post-partum mothers, but has since expanded to address systemic issues.
Nesselrodt said BBF began approximately 11 years ago.
“We originated as an infant mortality initiative back in 2013 in Southeast Missouri,” Nesselrodt said. “And this is our first-ever conference.”
Missouri is currently proving to be a maternity healthcare desert for expectant mothers, families and children, she said.
“We really wanted to bring opportunities for networking and for speakers to come in and educate our area on what programs are out there and the successes that have worked with infant mortality reduction,” Nesselrodt said about hosting the conference. “We chose Miner because we really wanted to bring these opportunities to our communities here in the Bootheel.
Nesselrodt continued: “The purpose of this conference is to really bring awareness and to elevate and empower the work that not only Bootheel Babies and Families has done but that our partners have done.”
According to Nesselrodt, the organization collaborates with healthcare institutions and nonprofits throughout the region to promote resource sharing and provide mothers in need with necessary care and resources.
BBF Project Director Sara Pierce said the partnerships have been extremely beneficial.
“Our community partnerships have been instrumental in reducing infant mortality rates in the Bootheel region by 42.7% over the past decade,” said Pierce.
Pierce said the conference amplified their ability to elevate maternal and infant health.
“Together, we are creating a growing support network that ensures mothers and their babies have the resources they need for a healthy life,” Pierce said.
To know more about Bootheel Babies and Families, visit https://www.bootheelbabies.org/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1sr-mpaKQCq2Z0rAw4tbJ...