First 1,000 Days Suncoast will expand into DeSoto County, where more than 80 families made a 50-plus mile drive in 2021 to deliver their babies. The Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, which provides support for families and babies through the First 1,000 Days Suncoast initiative, is seeking to enhance its impact as the number of births increases across the region. In 2021, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System saw over 4,200 deliveries, an increase of more than 300 births from 2020. DeSoto was a natural first stop: With few doctors and a limited number of social service agencies, families in DeSoto County lack consistent access to prenatal care, parenting education, and other wrap-around services proven to enhance childhood development. Focus groups with mothers, fathers, and grandparents in DeSoto County revealed that language and cultural barriers within the system of care are major obstacles even when they are able to access services. First 1,000 Days Suncoast made strategic efforts to expand its footprint in DeSoto County by hiring Tina Wilson, a bilingual nurse responsible for working directly with families to navigate care. The expansion is funded through a three-year, $130,000 grant from Elsa and Peter Soderberg Charitable Foundation. The Soderberg Foundation enhances access to quality health services, economic empowerment opportunities, and adequate food and housing with the goal of boosting quality of life. The initiative follows a “no wrong door approach” designed so that any person, regardless of point of entry, can connect to the services they need. This process is done through a social determinants of First 1,000 Days DeSoto Expansion health software system used by healthcare and social service agencies called, Unite Us. The free, HIPAA-compliant tool allows agencies to refer clients electronically, taking the burden off the individual to place phone calls or visit multiple offices to schedule appointments.

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