Mother With 2 Children Wasn’t Getting Enough to Eat

The Christmas holiday was fast approaching, and the teammates at the Atrium Health Floyd Family Medicine Residency clinic were ready to get on with their shopping, wrapping, cooking and celebrating. Marta, an expectant mom, was the last patient of what had been a long week.

The patient previously had shared with her nurse, Julie Early, that her home situation was not ideal. And on this particular Friday, Marta was stressed. Clearly anxious, she needed reassurance. More than anything, she wanted an ultrasound of her baby, but her assigned provider was unable to do the ultrasound. Recognizing an opportunity to calm her patient, Julie asked another resident, Dr. Adriana Delmonico, if she would help.

“We all were exhausted, thinking we couldn't see one more patient, but we made a special effort for Marta," Julie said, adding that Marta had been a Residency Clinic patient during her first pregnancy as well. “She has been kind of special in my heart."

Marta left the clinic that day with printed images of the baby she was carrying. She told Julie later that she created Christmas ornaments from the prints she received that day.

After her baby was born, Marta returned to the clinic regularly for her postpartum visits, but always with symptoms that could not be explained medically. She was having trouble eating, nauseous, dizzy and losing weight. Sensing a bigger issue was at hand, Julie probed further, delicately asking Marta about her economic situation.

Through tears, Marta explained that it wasn't that she couldn't eat. She wasn't eating to make sure she had enough food for her two young children.

“That just ripped our hearts out," Julie said.

Julie set aside her plans to meet Marta's need. A resident physician had brought a case of snack pouches to the clinic – baby food and snack items that her own children wouldn't eat. Julie gave them to Marta. Another teammate with a connection to Chick-fil-A had brought a stack of sandwich vouchers to the clinic. Julie gave several to Marta, enough for her to feed herself and her family several meals.

“We do that a lot for our super-needy families," Julie said. “We take for granted zipping through Chick-fil-A and getting something for our kids. This is a tremendous luxury for these families."

Julie also connected Marta with someone who could help her get established with an assistance program.

Today, Marta is getting the help she needs. She now comes in weekly for follow-up and her symptoms of malnourishment have resolved.

“We keep a close eye on her and any needs she has," Julie said. “It's really good to see that she is in a much better place."

This summer, Atrium Health Floyd will begin screening all patients for 10 social determinants of health:

• Housing security
• Food security
• Transportation availability
• Access to utilities
• Personal safety
• Financial strain
• Employment
• Family and community support
• Education
• Physical activity

If a patient reveals they have an issue in one of these areas, it will be documented, and the patient will be referred to a community resource to help them with their need. Marta's story is an example of why this work is so important.