First Steps Volunteers Needed!

[Marci Schreiber <eschreim@gritman.org>]

Please help us get the word out about this great volunteer opportunity! (A
shortened version to include in newsletters appears following the
article.)

FIRST STEPS VOLUNTEERS HELP NEW PARENTS

FIRST STEPS, a hospital-based program offering support and information to
new parents is recruiting volunteers to work at Gritman Medical Center.
For the parents of a newborn infant, the rewards and demands of parenthood
are endless!  Volunteers are needed to work with the First Steps program
whose goal is to ensure the healthy growth and development of young
children.  

FIRST STEPS is currently in place in  over 100 hospitals and clinics
throughout the United States and Europe.  Specially trained volunteers
visit new parents before they discharge from the hospital to provide
emotional support and answer questions or concerns they may have about
their new babies.  

Parents also receive a FIRST STEPS developmental calendar and Community
Compass resource guide.  A special feature of the program is to link
families with Gritman's 24-hour "Warmline," a telephone number for new
parents to call and speak to a nurse if they have questions or problems
after returning home from the hospital.

The FIRST STEPS program at Gritman Medical Center, the first in the
pacific northwest, has been recognized by the national FIRST STEPS office
in Georgia as a model for statewide replication.  Nationwide last year,
nearly 14,000 new parents were visit by FIRST STEPS volunteers.  Since the
initiation of Gritman's First Steps program in October 1999 over 440
parents have received FIRST STEPS services. 

On Saturday, January 27th Laura Nittolo and Marci Schreiber will train new
FIRST STEPS volunteers to talk to new parents about everything from
breast-feeding to child care to the needs of both parents and other
children at home.  For more information about FIRST STEPS or to learn more
about volunteer opportunities, call Laura Nittolo or Marci Schreiber at
(208) 883-6454.

(Shortened version)

Become a First Steps Volunteer!  Provide information and encouragement to
a family as their newborn grows and learns.  Every parent of a newborn
encounters the joys and challenges of this new, round-the-clock role.
Through First Steps, a program at Gritman Medical Center, you can help
support parents, provide needed information, and connect them to community
resources to make the first few months of parenting easier.

The next First Steps Training will be held on Saturday, January 27, from
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Gritman Medical Center.  For more information or
to sign up for the training, please call Laura at 883-6454.

************************************
Marci Schreiber, Coordinator
Young Children & Family Programs
Gritman Medical Center
700 S. Main, Moscow, ID 83843
Phone: (208) 883-6454 / (208) 883-6370
Fax: (208) 883-2239
E-mail: marci.schreiber@gritman.org
************************************