Developing a research agenda for social perinatal care and maternal and early childhood health at La Maison Bleue

Team

Andreaea Van Hulst, Vania Jimenez, Lisa Merry, Jennifer Hill, Kathleen Rice, Eric Hetherington

Funding

IRSC 2023-2024

Abstract

Striking inequities in access to prenatal and early childhood healthcare and social services continue to prevail in Canada. Mothers, infants, children and families from disadvantaged social, economic and migration backgrounds are more likely to cumulate risk factors, and are less likely to receive routine preventive healthcare, leading to sub-optimal perinatal, infant, and early childhood health outcomes. Social perinatal primary care organizations, such as La Maison Bleue in Montreal, can offset these risks and promote the optimal growth, development and health of infants and children through the provision of adapted, integrated, and multidisciplinary healthcare and services during pregnancy and early childhood. La Maison Bleue operates across 4 sites located in low-income Montreal neighbourhoods each with a team including family physicians, midwives, nurses, social workers, and psychoeducators. Using a strengths-based approach, its mission is to promote the optimal growth, development and wellbeing of mothers, infants, children and families through the provision of prenatal and early childhood healthcare as well as psychosocial evaluations and follow-ups. Over the past years, in collaboration with the organization’s leadership team, a number of research activities have been implemented at La Maison Bleue. However, meaningful engagement with La Maison Bleue end-users (i.e., mothers and families) and healthcare and service providers was not systematically done in the design and implementation of these activities. In order to better understand the needs and priorities in terms of research and quality improvement activities at La Maison Bleue, we will: 1) develop a multi-stakeholder partnership (including end-users and service providers); 2) engage in consultation activities to generate a research agenda for La Maison Bleue; and 3) mobilize participation in a social perinatal community of practice for more effective knowledge dissemination and uptake.