Senate committee hears overview of pregnancy, postpartum and parenting supports for women at Coffee Creek

Lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health heard April 22 about programs intended to support pregnant and parenting people who are incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.

Heidi Stewart, deputy director for the Oregon Department of Corrections and acting health services administrator, told the committee the department provides several on-site supports at Coffee Creek, including expanded visiting opportunities for mothers and infants after delivery, an on-site Early Head Start program that can enroll eight children and operates seven hours per week, breastfeeding education and pumping supplies with milk pickups coordinated through the Northwest Mothers Milk Bank, a family advocate position that helps women navigate child welfare cases and arrange visits, and an evidence-based cognitive behavioral parenting program developed with the Oregon Social Learning Center.

"We want to make sure that we help facilitate the connections and provide resources to moms who live at Coffee Creek, and who have children and who wanna be a part of their children's lives," Stewart said.

Stewart told senators that Coffee Creek currently has one OBGYN on staff; she offered to provide caseload and program participation numbers to…