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About Us
History and Structure of Healthier Moms and
Babies
The Need
In Allen County, the March of Dimes tell us, 13.4% or more than one of every seven babies is born too soon. They have documented an increase in premature deliveries of almost 26% from 1994 to 2004*. These babies are more likely to be neurologically impaired**, and 50% of babies born before the 37th week of pregnant will eventually require special education***.
* last year for which statistics are available
** marchofdimes.com
***The Center for Premature Infant Health and Development at the University of Southern California
History
As a result of the Healthier Beginnings Fetal
Infant Mortality Study conducted from 1995-1997
in Allen County, some very preventable
contributing factors were found. Among the most
disturbing were 1) women encountered barriers to
prenatal care, 2) they did not recognize signs
of preterm labor and warning signs in pregnancy
and 3) families were unfamiliar with SIDS
prevention measures. Some women did not know
they were eligible for Medicaid or were unaware
of resources for sliding fee prenatal care. They
mistook symptoms they should have reported to
their primary care provider as normal
discomforts of pregnancy.
In 1996, St. Joseph Medical Center received a
grant from the Indiana State Department of
Health for a demonstration project to address
the causes of infant mortality. This was the
beginning of Healthier Moms and Babies. In
August, 1997 with the impending sale of the
hospital, Healthier Moms and Babies was
transferred to the Fort Wayne Medical Education
Program, which is itself under the umbrella of
the Fort Wayne Medical Society Foundation. Since
that time St. Joseph Hospital has continued to
provide office space for Healthier Moms and
Babies as an in-kind service.
Current Structure
Healthier Moms and Babies enjoys a collaborative
relationship with several local entities in providing
our services. The Fort Wayne Medical Society
Foundation which holds the 501 c 3 status for us
and other organizations, shares its postal
permit and assists with our printing. The Fort
Wayne Medical Education Program serves as our
fiscal agent, handling accounts receivable and
payable, payroll, provides liability coverage
and refers potential clients. There is a slot on
the Healthier Moms and Babies Advisory Board
reserved for a staff person from the Fort Wayne Medical
Education Program, and the Lutheran Health Network continues to
provide our office space, telephone and internet
service.
How Services Are Provided
Healthier Moms and Babies’ goal is to reduce
infant mortality and improve the outcome of
pregnancy in Allen County by offering health
education and case management services to
low-income, high-risk pregnant women and their
families. Spanish-speaking women are served in
their language and are provided educational
materials in Spanish. Services are provided from
as early in the pregnancy as possible to the
baby’s first birthday, the window of time infant
mortality is calculated.
Each month a nurse or social worker visit the
pregnant woman and educates her on nutrition,
health habits and lifestyle changes necessary
for a healthy baby. In the second trimester, she
learns the signs of preterm labor, warning signs
in pregnancy. She learns about Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome prevention as well as other
injury and illness prevention. After delivery,
she learns about infant nutrition and how to
encourage her baby’s developmental milestones.
Along the way, she is given resource and
referral information about other needs, such as
food, rent, baby equipment and counseling. This
care reduces the number of preterm deliveries,
saves families and the community thousands of
dollars, reduces stress and truly results in
“better babies, one
baby at a time.”
Annual Reports
Advisory Board
Shannon Bearman - SECRETARY
National Paint and Retail Development Manager
Do It Best Corp.
 Shannon has been with Do it Best Corp. in Fort Wayne for 15 years. She is a United Way Women’s Initiative member, has participated in a variety of Habitat for Humanity projects and is also as an active participant in the Annual AHA Heart Walk. She became affiliated with HMB as an intern on the Advisory Board upon graduating from Leadership Fort Wayne in 2006. She now serves as the Recording Secretary for the Advisory Board and is part of the Event Committee.
Pam Brookshire - VICE CHAIR
Director of Program Operations
Community Action of Northeast Indiana
pambrookshire@canihelp.org
 Pam is a Certified Family Development Specialist and a graduate of the National Community Action Management Academy. She is very involved in homeless/housing and case management projects in the county and the state, including the development of a community-wide Case Coordination System and co-authored the Family Development Matrix, an assessment tool and case management system that has been adopted by all the CAAs in the state and many organizations in Allen County. She received the Distinguished Alumni Award, Division of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University in 2007 and graduated from Leadership Fort Wayne in 2009.
Meg Distler
Executive Director
St Joseph Community Health Foundation
 As the Director of the St Joseph Community Health Foundation, Meg oversees the grant making program to support Allen County programming to improve healthcare access for low income and vulnerable populations. This includes overseeing the new Community Resource Center for Refugees. She is also active with several local organizations including her church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne’s Community Partnership Inc. Board, the Junior League of Fort Wayne. Meg is on the HMB Event Committee and Board Governance Policy Committee.
Alice Eshelman
Proprietor
Joseph Decuis Restaurant and Emporium
 Alice is active with the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce heading up their annual Taste of Roanoke, A Renaissance in Roanoke Art Show and their summer long Farmers Markets. She chairs Roanoke’s Patriotic Pops Concert raising funds for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and serves on the board of Ivy Tech Community College Northeast. Alice serves on our Advisory Board Event Committee.
Sr. Carole Langhauser
Vice President of Mission Integration
St Joseph Hospital
 Sr. Carole is a registered nurse with a background in oncology and has graduate certificates in health care mission leadership and health care ethics. She serves on the boards of Allen County Council on Aging, St. Anne Home and Retirement Community, The Salvation Army, St. Joseph Community Health Foundation and Ancilla Systems, Inc. (Hobart, IN). She also works with the Burmese Health & Wellness Group and Healthcare Access-Medical Home-Quality Improvement Project. Sister Carole served on the Advisory Board Technology Committee.
Dr
Deborah McMahan
Commissioner
Fort Wayne-Allen County Dept. of Health
 Dr. McMahan is an internist who was the past president of Fort Wayne Medical Society and a board member of the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Super Shot, Medical Advisory Committee of Neighborhood Health Clinics, Inc., Area Healthcare Education Center Advisory Board and Healthcare Management Advisory Board.. She has received numerous awards including the IPFW Alumni Citation Award in 2001, Fort Wayne Women’s Bureau; Hidden Heroines Award in 2002 and the Fort Wayne Boys and Girls Club Brilliant Woman Award in 2003.
Heliana Montero
Senior Customer Service Representative
Essex Group Inc.
 Heliana has been working with Superior Essex since 2004. She was born in Lima, Peru, moved to the US in 2001 and became a US citizen on 2006. She recently graduated from Indiana University in Fort Wayne and obtained her bachelor degree in Business Administration. She has been a member of Hispanos Unidos, a student organization at IPFW, which provides support to Hispanic students and raises funds for scholarships through diverse social activities.
F. Renee Morrison
HR Director
Donor Services of Indiana
 F. Renee Morrison is the Human Resource Director for Donor Services of Indiana, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Prior to this position, she worked 26 years in the banking industry in many different capacities. Her community service includes serving on YWCA for13 or more years in various capacities including board chairperson. She also serves on the Anthony Wayne Services board as the Treasurer, and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta where she serves as the 2nd Vice Chair.
Sakina Mourtada
Registered Nurse
Southwest Allen County Schools
 Sakina Mourtada is a Registered Nurse, having graduated from Purdue University. She was born in Tanzania, East Africa and is of East Indian heritage. Her family moved to Fort Wayne in 1972. She currently works as a nurse for Southwest Allen County Schools, where she has been extensively involved as an employee and parent. She volunteers yearly for Autism Awareness fundraising and previously served on the Advisory Board of the St Joseph Community Health Foundation.
Rob Patrick - TREASURER
VP & Trust Officer of Personal Asset Management Group
1st Source Bank
patrickr@1stsource.com
 Rob is currently the Vice President and Trust Officer of Personal Asset Management Group at 1st Source Bank. He is involved with Northeast Indiana Planned Giving Council, Leave a Legacy, Fort Wayne Estate Planning Council, Leadership Fort Wayne Class of 2007 and Alumni Association Board, Rotary, ARC Volunteer, Elks Lodge #155, Parkview Hospital Foundation—Cookin’ Men Chef and Golf Outing Steering Committee, Junior Achievement Instructor, Southwest Lutheran Church, and is a 2008 Future 40 Award Recipient.
Kathy Roudebush
Attorney
 Kathryn Roudebush is a local attorney who has served in many volunteer capacities in our community. She is a twenty year member and past president of the Junior League and has served in many other organizations including Erin's House for Grieving Children, Friends of the Parks, Three Rivers Food Coop and GRRACE, Inc. Kathy was the Chair of the HMB Event Committee in 2007 and was on the Board Governance Committee.
Terri Tibbott
Chief Executive Officer
Donor Services of Indiana
 Terri Tibbot is the founder and CEO of Donor Services of Indiana, and previously worked at St Joseph Hospital. She is currently working on her PhD through the University of Alabama, where she also earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree. She is a Certified Tissue Bank Specialist through the American Association of Tissue Banks. Terri has been involved in fundraising for the Hoosier Burn Camp and supports many local nonprofits.
Dr. Phil Tyndall - CHAIR
OB-GYN, Retired
 Dr. Phil Tyndall is retired from 33 years clinical practice of OB-GYN with Fort Wayne OB-GYN and 7 years as Medical Director of Neighborhood Health Clinics. His board affiliations include Park Center Behavioral Health, Neighborhood Health Clinics, American Association of Pro Life OB-GYN (AAPLOG), past chairman, Indiana Section, American College of OB-GYN (ACOG), past board member Fort Wayne Medical Society and Physician's Health Plan (PHP). He is also a member of ACOG, ISMA and AMA.
Eric Whicker
Chief Financial Officer
Fort Wayne Medical Education Program
 Eric is the Chief Financial Officer for the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program and board member for Healthier Moms and Babies. He has been involved in the Healthier Moms and Babies program since it was incorporated into a division of Fort Wayne Medical Education Program. Eric served on the Advisory Board Technology Committee.
Dr. Milan Za
Staff Physician
Fort Wayne Medical Education Program
 Dr Milan Za was born and raised in Burma, where she graduated from medical school. She finished residency training at the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program in 2008. She currently works at Family Practice Clinic under Fort Wayne Medical Education Program, where she helps provide care for the Burmese population in the Allen County area. Dr Za is a member of the American Medical Association and the Indiana State Medical Association. This is her first board experience.
Kelly Zachrich
Executive Director
Super Shot
 Kelly has been with the Super Shot program since 1992, serving as its Executive Director since 1999. She was Director and co-founder of the Indiana Immunization Coalition from 1999 thru 2007. She has served on the board of Fort Wayne Urban League, Advisory Board of the Child Advocacy Center, Study Circles Facilitator, past President of the Junior League of Fort Wayne and State Public Affairs Chair for the Junior Leagues of Indiana. Kelly received the Indiana Immunization Advocate of the Year Award in 2006.
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