As the HealthySteps Specialist at Denver Health Park Hill, Allison Dart’s job is to support families through the early years of their children’s lives, helping them understand how to support their children’s healthy development.
Allison makes a point to introduce herself to families during their pregnancy-related doctor’s visits, so that they already know her when the baby arrives. Allison met Serena during a pregnancy visit and in that visit, Serena shared that she had recently lost her mom. The grief alongside the loss of a vital part of her support system caused the pregnancy to be stressful. Knowing this, Allison and Serena’s primary care physician worked closely together to support Serena.
When the baby came, Allison continued to get to know Serena, forming a close professional bond with both Serena and the baby. When Serena came to the doctor’s office seeming a little off, Allison knew to dig deeper and discover what was wrong.
It turned out it was coming up on one year after Serena’s mother’s death, and Serena was experiencing renewed grief and loss.
Together, Allison and Serena’s doctor were able to connect Serena to postpartum mental health support. Because Serena trusted her team of providers, she was open to it–Allison helped normalize something that is usually stigmatized.
This is the kind of wraparound support that HealthySteps unlocks. Through connecting Serena to perinatal mental health support, Allison was able to help both mom and baby.
*Note: Serena’s name has been changed to preserve anonymity.
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