(By Ramandeep Kaur & Lisa Baker)
("Source: Media from Wix").
The Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) is a federal funding program delivered to community groups that support pregnant families at-risk of poor birth outcomes because of factors related to the social determinants of health (Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 2019). The Program specifically targets pregnant people that experience low socioeconomic status and food insecurity, geographical and social isolation, substance use, family violence, and adolescent pregnancy. Teens, Indigenous people and new immigrants (less than 10 years in Canada) are three populations that make up a large proportion of CPNP participants. Currently, CPNP provides funding to support over 51,000 pregnant people in over 2000 communities across the country. This represents approximately 13% of the total pregnant population in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2019).
CPNP goals and outcomes have changed very little since the program’s inception in 1994 (PHAC, 2011). Through the delivery of interventions such as nutritional supplements, individual counselling, group support sessions, education sessions, and referrals to community agencies, CPNP sites provide services tailored to the specific needs of the community. Interventions are chosen if they contribute to the goals of CPNP, explained in detail on the PHAC website. Briefly, the goals of CPNP include improving the health of pregnant women and newborns, creating community partnerships to better support vulnerable families, and providing culturally appropriate care to Indigenous families and recent immigrants (PHAC, 2019). The most recent evaluation of CPNP shows that the program is successfully improving health outcomes of participating pregnant women and newborns (Muhajarine, Ng, Bowen, Cushon, & Johnson, 2012) .
CPNP partners at local, regional, and provincial levels secure additional funding and staff to deliver programming in the communities they serve. The last reported data shows over $8.6 million in outside funding sources and $9.3 million worth of in-kind staff hours from the organizations that deliver CPNP services (PHAC, 2019). This data tells us that CPNP funding alone is not enough to deliver the services required to support pregnant families at-risk of poor birth outcomes. Because local organizations must find additional funding and support to deliver programs, it is reasonable to expect variation between the levels of service provided by organizations across the country. Today we will explore how the CPNP funding is used to deliver services across two provinces, Alberta and Ontario.
CPNP services in Alberta In Alberta, 25 CPNP programs and 26 CAPC programs work together within the Alberta CAPC and CPNP Coalition. The Coalition website states there are only 22 CPNP programs; this statement has not yet been updated. The Coalition, also funded by PHAC, allows individual organizations across the province to meet regularly and share resources for the benefit of all pregnant families in Alberta. It also provides financial support to build the capacity of programs through program visitation and inservices. The CPNP programs within the Coalition supported 6,630 pregnant and postnatal people and their families in 2018 (Alberta CAPC CPNP Coalition, 2018). The programs cover a large portion of the province, as denoted by red stars in Figure 1. Descriptions of each program can be found on the Project Sites page of the Coalition website. PHAC also provides a brief description of each program. The target population varies within organizations across the province. In areas where there is strong postpartum support for new families elsewhere, CPNP programs support pregnant families only. An example of this type of program is Best Beginning in Calgary. In areas without strong postpartum support, CPNP programs also support families in the postpartum period up to one year after birth. The Healthy Babies Program in Cold Lake is one example. With limited funds, this is an efficient way to prevent duplication of services with PHAC dollars across the province of Alberta.
CPNP services in Ontario
Now, let’s look at how the CPNP funding is utilized in Ontario. In Ontario, there are 81 CPNP projects that are distributed throughout the province for delivering healthcare services to pregnant women, new moms and their babies. The Ontario description of each project can be viewed on the government of Canada website under the, CPNP-Projects Directory online, which clearly stated the population served and the services offered (PHAC, 2019). An extremely beneficial partnership has been made by the CPNP with the private sector industry of Sudbury which belongs to Northern Ontario. CPNP has made efforts to amalgamate organizations such as Our Children, Our Future and True Steel Security that provide education which minimizes violent acts such as child abuse and other criminal actions (PHAC, 2007). Our Children, Our Future is a registered charity organization since 1998 originating in Sudbury, Ontario. Through its course of service in several years it has increased the services for children and their families via positive learning, parent education, nutrition and food programs. Regardless of income, age and race these children and families have access to programs such as food security programs that provide food, diapers, formula milk for short term emergency situations. An emphasis is taken on educating them with the appropriate tools and support for a healthy lifestyle (Our Children, Our Future, n.d.). On the other hand, True Steel Security is a security business organization in Northern Ontario that caters to making the community a safer place to dwell by installing monitors, alarms and video security services in their premises (True Steel Security, n.d.). A safe environment for children and families is a necessity for protection from criminal activities in their neighborhoods.
Summary
The above-mentioned services and collaborative initiatives taken by CPNP in our respective provinces has not only attempted to utilize the funds appropriately but also created a strong network and community base with a diverse range of associates. Through this diversity and partnership created by CPNP and numerous programs, a larger population gets access to their services. Besides, joining hands with reputable organizations and agencies ensures that safe delivery of services is provided in these vulnerable communities through a well -trained and educated staff which vulnerable people with poor socio-economic backgrounds can trust (PHAC, 2007).
It is evident that both provinces vary in the number of CPNP programs; with Alberta offering 25 programs and Ontario offering 81 programs to different population types. The range of services provided within these programs also differ based on the demands and socio-economic conditions in the area. Through our research of CPNP delivering services to pregnant families at risk of poor birth outcomes, it has been noted that in the last decade the number of programs and collaboration efforts which help in funding has also increased. Thus, the vulnerable population that CPNP serves, which includes pregnant women with poor socioeconomic status and food insecurity, geographical and social isolation, substance abuse, family violence, and adolescent pregnancy are being well served and can be enhanced in the upcoming years (PHAC, 2019).
REFERENCES
Alberta CAPC CPNP Coalition. (2018). CAPC CPNP Programs Enhance the Lives of Vulnerable Children and their Families [Impact Statement]. Retrieved from https://www.capccpnpalberta.com
Muhajarine, N., Ng, J., Bowen, A., Cushon, J., & Johnson, S. (2012). Understanding the impact of the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program: a quantitative evaluation. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 103(7 Suppl 1), eS26-31. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4189/42b82e86f3654134ae4dde5673cf5a91afb0.pdf
Our Children, Our Future. (n.d.). Profile of Our Children, Our Future. Retrieved from http://www.ocof.net/en/OCOF-History
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2007). The Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program: A decade of promoting the health of mothers, babies and communities. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.690292/publication.html
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2011). Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP)
Evaluation. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/childhood-adolescence/programs-initiatives/canada-prenatal-nutrition-program-cpnp/canada-prenatal-nutrition-program-cpnp-evaluation.html
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2016). Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program - Projects Directory Online. Retrieved from https://cpnp-pcnp.phac-aspc.gc.ca/en
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2019). Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP). Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/childhood-adolescence/programs-initiatives/canada-prenatal-nutrition-program-cpnp.html
Statistics Canada. (2019). Table 13-10-0415-01 Lives births, by month. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310041501
True Steel Security. (n.d.). Why True Steel. Retrieved from https://truesteel.com/why-true-steel/
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