Crissy Haslam, wife of Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, recently toured Baptist Women’s Hospital’s Universal Parenting Place.
Haslam praised the work being done at the UPP and asked about the functions of the facility, how it can help working mothers with limited time to visit the center, and funding.
Paige Marcantel, director of Baptist Women’s UPP, guided the tour and provided information on the center’s services and possible future plans.
“One of our primary functions is helping parents connect to other resources,” Paige said. “From domestic violence and addiction, to children with special needs and family conflict resolution, there are a wealth of great opportunities available in our community, but not everyone knows how to access them.”
Haslam offered to provide a connection to the state government, offering even more opportunities for parents.
The UPP is a first-of-its-kind, free resource available to any parent in the community.
“We focus on early childhood development, asking parents to remember experiences they had as children and seeing how those experiences helped shape them. We often parent as we were parented,” Paige said. “Parents can come in with problems they are having with their young children, and we encourage them to come back in later with their children and teenagers.”
Admitting they need help is often a difficult step for parents.
“Shame is often an issue,” Paige said. “We try to dispel this aura of perfection some parents hold and offer help on the entire spectrum of developmental stages.”
Parents are referred to the program by pediatricians and other health care professionals, beginning at pregnancy. The facility hopes to work in conjunction with schools and other social services in the community to refer more parents.
The UPP will also receive national exposure when Baptist Vice President of Government Affairs Rev. Keith Norman makes a presentation to the Justice Department about how Baptist is alleviating youth and family violence in Memphis.