Her Health Research Study
About the Her Health Study
The “fourth trimester” is the period of time after you have a baby. Pregnancy changes your body a lot, and recovering from pregnancy can be hard. It is important to focus on your health and healthcare during the fourth trimester to make sure you have good health later in your life. The Her Health study is a study that aims to learn if the “Her Health” program can help women be healthy and get healthcare in the first year after having a baby. The Her Health program uses an extra healthcare team member (called a community health navigator) to work with patients and their care team.
The Her Health Study is generously funded by the The Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundations Greater Value Portfolio.
What are community health navigators? What do they do?
A community health navigator (CHN) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the CHN to serve as a link between health/social services and the community to increase access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. A CHN also builds community capacity by increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency through a range of activities such as outreach, community education, informal counseling, social support, and advocacy.
CHNs do not provide clinical care or have clinical expertise.
Meet the Research Team
Principal Investigator – Dr. Elizabeth Sutton
Dr. Sutton is the Scientific Research Director at Woman’s Hospital where her research program focuses on improving women’s long-term health by understanding the immediate and persistent effects of adverse pregnancy outcomes. She is also the Director of the OB/GYN Residency Research Program and leads the hospital’s population health research program with initiatives including reducing preterm births, reducing postpartum readmissions, improving breastfeeding initiation in high-risk populations, and improving clinical management of diabetes in pregnancy.
Co-Investigator- Renada Deschamp, MPA, CDE
Mrs. Deschamp is Woman’s Hospital’s Senior Vice President of Health Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer. She is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion in the healthcare space. She works to advance equitable practices to benefit both patients and employees at Woman’s Hospital.
Research coordinator: Briasha Jones, MPH
Ms. Jones is a research coordinator with years of experience in perinatal and health equity research and a background in public health, specifically in maternal and child health.
Briasha can be contacted for questions/concerns:
225-428-7464
Briasha.jones@womans.org
Research coordinator- Britteny Stewart, CCRP
Mr. Stewart is a Clinical Research Professional with a Bachelor of Biological Science from the University of New Orleans. With a strong track record in clinical research, Brittney prioritizes participant safety and maintaining data accuracy. His previous roles demonstrate his prowess in study coordination, regulatory compliance, and team leadership. Brittney's commitment to maintaining ethical standards reflect his dedication to advancing the field of clinical research with a focus on participant well-being and data integrity.
Britteny can be contacted for questions/concerns:
225-888-4368
Britteny.stewart@womans.org
Meet the Community Health Navigator Team
Kia Morrison
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA and delivering all four of her children at Woman's, Kia deeply understands the importance of compassion and support during vulnerable moments. With over 17 years in the medical field, primarily in OB/GYN, Kia has committed herself to ensuring every woman feels valued and heard. Whether in the physician's office or more recently in our behavioral health setting, she strives to provide comfort and care beyond expectation. Over the past 3 years, she’s delved into addressing mental health needs in our community. Kia’s passion is to continue serving the women of our state and city with the utmost dedication and compassion.
Christopher Hart
Christopher graduated from LSU with a B.S. in Psychology and College Honors. While attending LSU, he began his community engagement serving as an LSU ambassador and becoming a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Outside of school, he remained active in the community serving as the Medical Lead for the Louisiana Youth Seminar, volunteering as a phone advocate for STAR, and working on the executive-board of the You Aren’t Alone Project non-profit. After graduation, he began working as a Mental Health Specialist with Pinnacle Health to provide guidance to children and adults coping with their own mental health. He hopes to one day become an M.D. and open multiple non-profit clinics dedicated to providing care to low-income communities. Christopher’s passion is to serve those with reduced access to the community resources available in our state.
Her Health Community Advisory Board
- Elizabeth Sutton, PhD- Woman’s Hospital, Research
- Renada Deschamp, MPA MCCT - Woman’s Hospital, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Briasha Jones, MPH – Woman’s Hospital, Research
- Karli Boggs MD – Our Lady of the Lake, OB/GYN
- Dena Christy – Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge
- Levette Matthews – Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge
- Myisha Morris – Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge
- Rodney Anthony, DHSc, MPH – Woman’s Hospital, Community Education
Frequently Asked Questions
The “Fourth Trimester” is the period of time after having a baby. As you are recovering from pregnancy, it is important for moms to take extra care of themselves and use this time to make changes and follow up with things that came up during pregnancy that will impact long term health.
Interpregnancy interval is the number of months between births. It is recommended that Intervals shorter than 6 months should be avoided, and individuals should discuss intervals shorter than 18 months with their doctors.
Generally, postpartum individuals should attend the postpartum appointments as scheduled by their healthcare team. Also, all postpartum individuals should plan a follow up with primary care physician and OB/GYN for annual visits. Along with this, moms who had preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, cesarean sections or any other complications need more specialized follow-up.
There are free resources available if you are feeling sad, depressed, anxious, or lonely.
Emergency: In case of an emergency, always call 911 first.
998 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call 998 or visit https://988lifeline.org/chat/. This service connects individuals with crisis counselors for emotional support and other services via web chat or texting.
Social Services: Call Woman’s Hospital Social Services at 225-924-8456.
Mental Health: Call 211. If you need assistance locating long-term mental health resources, talking through a problem, or exploring mental health treatment options, call 211 to speak with a live person who can help. 211 conversations are confidential, can be made anonymously, and are available in 180 languages upon request. https://www.211.org/get-help/mental-health
Others
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233, text LOVEIS to 22522 or visit TheHotline.org
Disaster Distress Helpline: Call 1-800-985-5990