Not Popular, Essential

I was horrified to learn of the cessation of the Welcome Every Baby program that has been helping new mothers and babies for 22 years. The headline,however, was not quite accurate. Instead of calling the program “popular,” the Indy should have called it “essential.”

In other countries this kind of program is an integral part of the social welfare system. The fact that funding support cannot be found is emblematic of the worsening state of health care in this country . A program that monitors and assists new-born babies and their mothers is absolutely essential for the health of our families.

Funding spent on such a program that can discover and prevent medical problems, both physical and mental, that may arise in the first year of life for both the parents and the baby surely saves far more money by preventing illness and in some cases serious lifelong conditions.

This is all the more true in today’s stressful climate when families are staggering under many challenges already.