Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment of a series of columns by deacons of the diocese addressing the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals.

By Deacon Margaret Koor

When asked to reflect upon this millennium goal, my first response was, “That is not my field of nursing anymore,” but I then realized it will always be my goal. I have been a deacon for 15 years and a registered nurse for 42. I am now a hospice nurse; previous to this I was a labor and delivery nurse for 35 years.

During the years of maternal nursing I have observed many changes, especially opportunities for education of the mother and family. As a continuation of Millennium Development Goal 4, “the reduction of child mortality,” the well-being of the mother and infant is most important, to reduce by three-quarters the maternal mortality rates between 1990 and 2015. The maternal mortality rates are the number of women who die in childbirth in part because they do not have access to adequate health care when complications arise, but also due to poor or nonexistent prenatal care. Women are often undernourished and therefore physically weaker and frequently have compromised or weakened immune systems.

The key to improved maternal health is outreach and education. In areas such as Africa, care may be a 1-2 day walk away, therefore many deliver at home without access to limited care. Highly educated Muslim women are more likely to accept Western options. However, women from rural families may be tightly bound to traditional surroundings, women’s health and fear deviation. Education may increase the likelihood of being open to alternatives to traditional treatment options.

I have personally observed maternal care far different from what I was experiencing at Sarasota Memorial Hospital when I traveled to the Dominican Republic. I could not find any fetal monitors, sheets on the bed or a well-equipped delivery room. The opportunities for education and equipment are opportunities for global ministry.

However, one does not have to go too far to observe opportunities for maternal outreach. While working in Sarasota, many patients were transported from areas of Arcadia, Port Charlotte or Immokalee. They needed acute prenatal care not available in their immediate area.
For three years, I was blessed to be the “house mother” of Noel House, a ministry serving pregnant girls in crisis in the Sarasota area, an outreach to girls who needed shelter, education and a Christian way of life.

Gracie was one of the first girls living at Noel House. She came from a “less-than-favorable” environment. Gracie lived with me until her son was about 4 months old. Even though she may have moved out of Noel House, she did not leave my life. Gracie finished high school and college, married a wonderful guy and has just delivered her third healthy son. They are members of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church in Bradenton. God is so good.

Gracie has written to me: “I don’t think it was a little prayer (for her), I believe there are people with calluses on their knees from praying for me. Zacc is a great big brother. I truly feel blessed to have the life I am living. My life could have turned out so much worse. It was definitely on the very bad track. It amazes me the grace God has shown me over the years. And now sitting here with my three sons is just so unbelievable.” Gracie continues to be a positive example and role model for this type of outreach programs.

Opportunities for outreach in the area of child mortality are many, both at home and in Africa, the Dominican Republic or other parts of the world. Keep in mind that children are our future. The health of a child and mothers are our responsibility.

--— Deacon Margaret Koor is assigned to St. Nathanial’s Episcopal Church in North Port. She is a registered nurse working for Tidewell Hospice on the Home and Children’s teams and is an oblate in the order of Julian of Norwich.