As the Universal Parenting Place (UPP) marks its first anniversary at Baptist Women’s Hospital, it has gained greater attention through national media and events.
In April, the UPP, a judgment-free zone where parents can receive professional counseling, information and emotional support for family-related issues – was featured on NewsHour, a national PBS show.
The episode focused on community programs that address adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—traumatic events like abuse, domestic violence and neglect. The UPP was established after a local ACE task force study found that 20 percent of those interviewed had been sexually abused as children, 22 percent had been exposed to violence between adults, and 37 percent had witnessed a stabbing or shooting. The goal of the UPP is to help prevent these and other childrearing challenges from becoming chronic physical, emotional, or behavioral problems with long-term societal consequences.
The NewsHour episode featuring the UPP is online. You can view it by going to www.pbs.org/newshour and typing “Universal Parenting Place” in the search bar in the upper right hand side of the page. The story is titled “To improve lifelong health, Memphis tries rooting out childhood trauma.”
On May 9 Jason Little, Baptist’s president and CEO, welcomed Playback Memphis to Baptist Women’s Hospital for an hour of improvisational theater performed in the main lobby. Playback Memphis entertained the crowd, acting out humorous skits related to families. The evening began with Ekpe’s rhythmic and lyrical drumming introduction, during which he led the audience in singing Happy Birthday in a native West African language.
The event was made possible through a partnership with the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation and Universal Parenting Place.