The Northwest Center

If you’re homeless and been through things they will judge you for it and refuse to help you for things that happened years prior. That’s not help especially putting a pregnant woman in even more risk because I got kicked out of a transitional housing a year 1/2 ago because of lies. I was honest with the Susan @ northwest center and she made it seem like I was a threat being judgmental saying I was going to be around other pregnant women like I myself am not pregnant. It was very stressful and even more stressful when she denied me of help. I am still homeless and 10weeks pregnant but something will come but Northwest center was very disappointing for me.

I started my internship at the Northwest center last summer as a public health student. I worked in the pregnancy center and the maternity home as well. I spoke to the clients who were mostly pregnant women or new mothers about Sudden infant death, prenatal care and other health related resources available to them to support them in their pregnancy or caring for their newborn. Both directors of the center and the home were very knowledgeable about the community served and diligently worked to include me in most meetings with their clients as they trained me to also run the appointments or trainings for the new mother. I thoroughly enjoyed not only serving that community but mainly being able to follow up month after month with the clients on their babies development, how they coped with and handled postpartum. As an ICU registered nurse, who works full time with very sick patients whose prognosis are not always the brightest, I was not only thrilled to be exposed to a patient population which we helped as they started their families but mainly I was impressed to witness how the Northwest center support and role in the community was appreciated, respected and very well spoken about. Their partnerships with agencies within the district expanded from the largest governmental agencies such as the centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the DC department of health to individual social worker within labor and delivery units at other hospitals. To me, no two days were similar even though one would think we had the same population to serve. I was delighted to undertake some appointments, learn their intake software, understand how each clients challenges were taken seriously and solved with great compassion. As a public health student with a nursing background, I was most grateful for the opportunity to experience a different frame of the healthcare system but also view the impact and importance of social services in the lives of low income and under served communities. I am most thrilled because I truly believe that my work at the Northwest Center has definitely shaped me into a better nurse. I believe the work I have done has shaped me into a stronger resourceful advocate for my patients' successful return into the community after a hospital stay, as I educate their family members on how to reach out to further services that will contribute to the full recovery of their loved ones.

I’ve spoken with various staff members and they have always been extremely responsive and helpful regarding questions I’ve had about donations. The facility is warm and welcoming and creates a community for the residents to rely on. I also attended a fundraising event at a local bar and it was well-managed and an overall positive experience. I would definitely recommend the Northwest Center to any mom or mom-to-be struggling with resources or housing, or to anyone interested in supporting them.