2012
Crossroads Annual Report
Page 10
Juanita Vega and her fiancé, Freddie Cabrera, wanted to have a family someday.
They had a plan: First comes marriage, then come the babies. Things didn’t go
according to plan, however. “The baby came first,” says Vega, smiling as she
reflects on her adorable daughter, Katelyn Nicole Cabrera, born May 30, 2012.
Last autumn, when Vega learned she was pregnant, fear overshadowed
happiness. Although the couple had the support of their families, they knew
little about what medical care they could get or afford. Vega sought help from
the Methodist Dallas Medical Center Golden Cross Academic Clinic, designed
to provide a medical home for people in need of affordable health care.
Vega was referred to the clinic’s Life Shines Bright Pregnancy Program. Winner
of the Texas Hospital Association’s 2011 Excellence in Community Service
Award, Life Shines Bright embraces and builds upon the Centering Pregnancy
®
model to promote healthy pregnancies and prevent preterm births.
“
It was wonderful,” Vega says. “They gave individual attention to each girl,
helped us understand how to make healthy choices and what to expect during
our pregnancy, and prepared us to become parents.”
Since the program launched in 2009, the Methodist Health System Foundation
has raised almost $4 million for the program. In November 2011, the Foundation’s
support helped to establish a brand-new home on the clinic’s fourth floor. In past
years, the program’s sessions had taken place in a waiting area, with constant
interruptions and limited privacy. On the renovated fourth floor, two dedicated
classroom spaces offer privacy for participants to talk openly during group
discussions and for one-on-one consultations with a certified nurse practitioner.
With healthy, happy Katelyn brightening their days, Vega and Cabrera are
excited for their future, including their wedding on Nov. 24, 2012.
“
Thanks to Life Shines Bright, our daughter had the best start in life,” Vega says.
“
And we know how to make the right choices as our family looks to the future.”
IN THE
COMMUNITY
SURROUNDING
METHODIST
DALLAS, THE
PRETERM BIRTH
RATE AVERAGES
18
PERCENT. FOR
PARTICIPANTS
IN THE LIFE
SHINES BRIGHT
PREGNANCY
PROGRAM,
THAT RATE
IS REDUCED
TO 5.6 PERCENT.
life
the l i ght
o f her