WOMENS RESOURCE MEDICAL CENTERS

WRMCSN: A VITAL SOURCE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) DEFINES SOCIAL SUPPORT AS "PERCEPTIONS OF HELP RECEIVED FROM OTHERS- AND EXAMINES THREE MAJOR TYPES OF SOCIAL SUPPORT: TANGIBLE SUPPORT, EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, AND INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT. AT WOMEN'S RESOURCE MEDICAL CENTERS OF SOUTHERN NEVADA, OUR HOLISTIC PATIENT CARE PLAN AND CASEWORK ASSESSMENT MODEL PROVIDE ALL THREE TYPES OF SUPPORT TO OUR PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, THEREBY STRENGTHENING OUR COMMUNITY. NEED FOR SOCIAL SUPPORT STRONG SYSTEMS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT ARE CORRELATED WITH POSITIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND A HIGHER QUALITY OF LIVING. CONVERSELY, INDIVIDUALS WITH LITTLE TO NO PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT ARE AT A GREATER RISK OF PHYSICAL AILMENTS SUCH AS HEART DISEASE, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, AND ALZHEIMER'S RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE; SOCIAL ISOLATION HAS ALSO BEEN LINKED WITH MENTAL HEALTH MALADIES LIKE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PTSD. FINALLY, POOR OR NONEXISTENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES SUCH AS ADDICTION AND SUICIDE. THESE PATTERNS ARE CONSISTENT ACROSS DEMOGRAPHICS BUT CAN DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACT VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, SUCH AS PREGNANT WOMEN. NEW MOTHERS WHO LACK SOCIAL SUPPORT CAN EXPERIENCE HIGHER INSTANCES OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION WHICH HAS TROUBLING IMPLICATIONS FOR BOTH MOTHER AND INFANT; INFANTS WHOSE MOTHERS SUFFER FROM POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION EXPERIENCE HIGHER RATES OF INFANT COLIC, PROBLEMATIC SLEEP PATTERNS, IMPAIRED MOTOR DEVELOPMENT, AND EVEN INFANT MORTALITY. LACK OF SOCIAL SUPPORT IN SOUTHERN NEVADA THE NEED FOR ROBUST SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS IS ESPECIALLY DIRE IN SOUTHERN NEVADA. SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS CAN BE MEASURED BY EXAMINING THE NUMBER OF "MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS" THAT EXIST PER 10,000 PEOPLE IN A GIVEN COMMUNITY; MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS CAN VARY FROM PARTICIPATION IN CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS TO PARTICIPATION IN ATHLETIC, RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS. BY THIS METRIC, THE SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LACK OF SUPPORT EXPERIENCED BY SOUTHERN NEVADANS IS STAGGERING: THE OVERALL RATE OF MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATIONS PER 10,000 IN OUR STATE IS AN APPALLING 4.3 AND UNFORTUNATELY, SOUTHERN NEVADA HEALTH STATISTICS BEAR THIS OUT. THE STATE OF NEVADA HAS THE SEVENTH HIGHEST SUICIDE RATE IN THE COUNTRY AND YET THE NUMBER OF MENTAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AVAILABLE TO PATIENTS IN CLARK COUNTY IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. MORE CLARK COUNTY RESIDENTS HAVE DIED FROM OPIOID OVERDOSES THAN HAVE DIED FROM MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES SINCE 2007. CLARK COUNTY CONSISTENTLY SCORES HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR BABIES BORN WITH LOW INFANT BIRTH WEIGHT, BABIES BORN BEFORE THE 37TH GESTATIONAL WEEK OF PREGNANCY, AND BABIES BORN WITH CONGENITAL SYPHILIS; CLARK COUNTY CONSISTENTLY SCORES HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR MOTHERS WHO RECEIVED LATE OR NO PRENATAL CARE OR WHO HAVE ATTAINED AN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR LESS. OUR COMMUNITY IS CLEARLY CRYING OUT FOR THE TYPE OF SUPPORTIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS THAT CONTRIBUTES TO COMMUNAL FLOURISHING. FORTUNATELY, OUR PROGRAMS STAND IN THE GAP FOR FAMILIES WHO WOULD OTHERWISE SUFFER FROM SOCIAL ISOLATION AND ATTENDING MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS. WE AVERAGE APPROXIMATELY 12,000 PATIENT VISITS, SERVING OVER 2,000 NEW PREGNANT PATIENTS ANNUALLY. OUR PATIENT POPULATION IS EITHER UNINSURED OR UNDERINSURED AND WOULD HAVE NO OTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR CARE IF OUR PROGRAM WAS NOT AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, WRMCSN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REALIZE 98%-100% HEALTHY MATERNAL AND FETAL OUTCOMES