Ideas for Conducting a Statewide GBSA Outreach Campaign
Volunteers
Legal Resources
As a new GBSA volunteer with plenty of time on my hands, I recently conducted a statewide GBSA outreach campaign in Pennsylvania. The time I had available, from February to August 1996, was due to bedrest prescribed by my high risk obstetrician (perinatologist) during my third pregnancy.
I became aware of the Group B Strep Association after losing my first two pregnancies. Both of my babies were born prematurely at 23.5 weeks gestation and both died shortly after birth. My first pregnancy was uneventful, but ended abruptly when I went to the hospital on May 4, 1995 with contractions and found my cervix was dilated 4 cm. My daughter, Casey Elizabeth Snyder, was born prematurely on May 5, 1994 and she lived for 2 hours and 42 minutes. My first pregnancy loss was determined to be due to an incompetent cervix, so a McDonald type cervical cerclage was placed after I conceived my second pregnancy. That pregnancy progressed without incident until I developed a bladder infection from Group B Strep bacteria at about 19 weeks gestation. The bladder infection was treated with a 10-day course of antibiotics; however, on February 16, 1995, I was rushed into the hospital with a high fever and pre-term labor contractions that caused the cerclage to tear through my membranes. The doctors were unable to stop the contractions or to bring my fever down. On February 17, 1995, my cervical cerclage was removed and my second child, Jason Paul Snyder, was born prematurely. My son lived for 1 hour and 13 minutes. My second pregnancy loss was determined to be due to chorioamnionitis. I later learned that an infection of Group B Strep bacteria was found on my cervix.
Prior to conceiving my third pregnancy, I contacted the Group B Strep Association and some of its volunteers in Pennsylvania and other states to learn how to protect myself against another pregnancy loss from this bacteria. In mid-February 1996, 4 days before Jason’s first birthday, I had a Shirodkar type cervical cerclage surgically placed and was sent to bed for the remaining 6 months of my third pregnancy. With a computer, a telephone, some ideas and plenty of time on my hands, I set about devising and implementing a statewide outreach campaign in Pennsylvania. In order to fund a statewide campaign, my husband, Chris, and I decided to file amended federal income tax returns claiming our children as dependents. The tax refund money was used to obtain GBSA brochures and to pay for phone calls, photocopy services, envelopes, address label paper, and postage for mailings.
There are many different ways to spread the Group B Strep word. Depending on the time, money, and other resources available, volunteers in Pennsylvania and in other states my want to consider a few of the ideas I have found to work. These include:
* Be creative in setting aside funds for GBSA volunteer activities (50 cents per day adds up !)
* Contact other GBSA volunteers to get ideas, share information and expertise, and coordinate volunteer efforts
* Ask friends and family to donate time, expertise, and available resources, such as help obtaining listings of obstetricians and hospitals from their employer’s health insurance plans; lists of health insurance companies, libraries, and maternity shops; making phone calls; stuffing envelopes; and delivering stacks of brochures to libraries, etc.
* Call health insurance companies that offer plans in your area to obtain their listings of hospitals and doctors (obstetricians)
* Call your state insurance regulatory commission/department and request a listing of health insurance companies offering managed care and traditional indemnity plans, including HMOs and Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies (be persistent in making this request)
* Call each health insurance company to obtain the name and office location of the manager of the prenatal care program (target the mailing of brochures and order forms to a specific person)
* Obtain a copy of the "dear medical professional" letter and brochure order form from the GBSA, and reproduce these items at a local copy shop for mailings (double side copying can save postage)
* Create mailing labels by using a computer and database software, such as Lotus Organizer’s address module (or write addresses by hand)
* Scan local telephone yellow pages and newspaper ads for names of maternity shops, and call each to ask about leaving stacks of brochures by the register for customers to pickup
* Call local TV news stations to ask the name and address of the production company that supplies their health care news spots, and contact the production company about doing a news spot on Group B Strep issues
* Write letters to the health editor of womens’ magazines to request that the magazine prepare and publish an article on Group B Strep issues
* Be persistent - volunteering it not always easy
Most importantly, do what you can do to get the word out. Your efforts to educate even one other person about Group B Strep bacteria issues will help. Encourage each person you contact to tell another person, and so on. You may want to start with one part of a multi-part outreach plan - say, libraries or maternity shops in your county - then expand your efforts as you accomplish each part of the plan. Do not get discouraged and remember that each person’s volunteer efforts add up for a collective impact on behalf of the organization that can be impressive.
Since my new baby, Mallory Erin Snyder, was born on August 13, 1996, I’ve been very busy. She arrived home on August 23, 1996, after spending her first 10 days in the neonatal intensive care unit because of immature lungs at birth. While the pace of my GBSA volunteer efforts have slowed, there is still more to be done to complete the statewide outreach effort I started while on bedrest. I encourage GBSA volunteers to contact each other, develop a plan, and take time each month to work a part of the plan. And, please call if I can be of help with ideas for getting your volunteer efforts off the ground.
Happy volunteering !!
Eileen M. Snyder
GBSA Volunteer
Skippack (Philadelphia area), Pennsylvania
610.584.6697
