Action Line #100419 – New Parent Support Program

  • Published
  • By 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Complaint:
I am concerned about us not having a New Parent Support Nurse. I was told that there was once one here and the position was cut. I believe that it definitely needs to be reinstated or brought back in some way. I have an 18 month old son and am current expecting. Before I PSCed here, I was part of the New Parent Support Program where there was a nurse that would make home visits. We were enrolled in this program throughout my pregnancy, up until we PCSed when my son turned one. It was awesome because they walked us through the milestones and taught us how to prepare and to help develop our son to reach those milestones. She also gave us great tips for parenting and to maintain our relationship while being parents. With the amount of families here at Incirlik, I know there are many families and parents who ARE and would be interested in enrolling this program. I have even spoken with people from different agency's here on base such as EDIS, AFRC, and WIC who also agree that there is a huge need for this program to come back in effect. What are the chances of this program coming back to Incirlik? Thanks so much for your time and assistance.

Response:
The Air Force did in fact cut this contractor position against our wishes in 2008. We have been unsuccessful so far in convincing the Air Force to reinstate the position.

Meanwhile, the 39th Medical Group recognized the need and has been developing solutions. There are online resources available, and the links are handed out to all our new parents. The Med Group offers a child birth class that addresses many early parenting skills, which is scheduled by the clinic for expectant mothers. Additionally, 24/7 assistance is available through the on-call medical officer when there may be medical issues or questions.

Other potential solutions we are developing include an effort to capitalize on the expertise of our own base population.

We have just completed reconstruction of our American Red Cross Volunteer Program. The program had lapsed several years ago, and three months ago we resurrected the program on Incirlik. We are looking for individuals on base who have expertise or experience in parenting and are willing to help out our new parents by becoming a Red Cross Volunteer and helping the Medical Group build a New Parent Support Program. Anyone interested in volunteering may call 676-6820 and ask for Tina Swieda, our Red Cross Volunteer Program director.