MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Methodist Le
Bonheur Healthcare recently launched Welcome Bluff City
Baby, a pilot program designed to encourage reading and
literacy interaction from birth.
In partnership with Urban Child Institute and Read901, as part
of the Welcome Bluff City Baby pilot program, Methodist
South Hospital will give every newborn baby's family a backpack
filled with early developmental reading materials and information
on the importance of nurturing TTRP – Touch, Talk, Read and Play in
early childhood – which is part of the Welcome Bluff City
Baby pilot program. The hope is that Urban Child can replicate this program at other
birthing centers across the city.
"Literacy unlocks our potential as a community," said
Jessie Tucker, president of
Methodist South Hospital. "By serving as the pilot location for
Welcome Bluff City Baby, we are giving every newborn and
their family an immediate collection of early reading materials to
propel a life-long love of learning."
In addition to books, the backpack also contains a 'Read to Me'
onesie, 'Bluff City Baby' bib and a census form to log baby's new
existence.
"Reading to babies every day lays the foundation for a baby's
future language skills and healthy social-emotional development,"
said Katherine Bryan, Urban Child
Institute Program Officer. "Sharing a book with your baby is a
powerful parenting tool. It creates a positive association with
reading, exposes baby to language, encourages imagination and
nurtures a loving bond with the parent."
According to Urban Child, 13,000
babies are born in Memphis every
year. In Shelby County, more than
26,000 children under the age of five live in households with
incomes under the Federal Poverty Level, which may limit access to
books and other early literacy-promoting materials.
Since the program launched, over 50 babies have been born at
Methodist South Hospital and have received a Bluff City Baby
backpack.
For more information or to make a donation, please visit
urbanchildinstitute.org/projects. A $30 donation covers the cost of one early
literacy backpack but any amount can be donated.
Photo attached: Tiffany
Hawkins holds her newborn, Royalty, as nurse Kelsey Jones explains Welcome Bluff City
Baby, a pilot program in partnership with Methodist Le Bonheur
Healthcare, Urban Child Institute and Read901 that give backpacks
filled with early reading developmental materials to the families
of babies born at Methodist South Hospital.
About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Based in Memphis, Tennessee,
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has been caring for patients
and families regardless of ability to pay for more than 100 years.
Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918
to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater
Memphis area, MLH has grown from
one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000
Associates supporting six hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers,
outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician practices
serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and
advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and
compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a
focus on improving every life we touch.
Visit us at methodisthealth.org and connect with us at
facebook.com/methodisthealth, twitter.com/MethodistHlth or on
Instagram at methodisthealth.
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SOURCE Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare