Thanks to the LCCAA Lorain County Pathways HUB, Ki has learned to process difficult emotions and manage her fears in preparation for the upcoming birth of her son.

Kinah Vargovich (aka Ki) has been working with Yolanda Brown, a Community Health Worker employed by Ohio Guidestone, one of the LCPHUB’s care coordination partners.

“She was unsure if she knew how to be a mother because her own mother wasn’t nurturing,” Brown said. “She was in a relationship she wasn’t sure was going to work.”

The LCPHUB is a free program that links pregnant women with local, trusted caring Community Health Workers to improve health outcomes for both them and their babies. The CHW walks with the mother and baby throughout the pregnancy and baby’s first year.

When Brown first met with Ki in March, she was staying with friends and mourning a recent miscarriage.

Little by little, Brown got her to open up and discuss everything from the custody battle between her own parents, to her ongoing care of her siblings.

“Ki told me that she truly enjoyed taking care of other people because it felt good,” Brown said. “When I asked about taking care of herself, she said she knew she should and admitted she didn’t trust anyone else to take care of her.”

During weekly meetings, Brown works with Ki on setting boundaries, identifying toxic relationships and communication strategies. They have also worked on finding housing, improving Ki’s employment and connecting her with a therapist.

“We brainstormed ways of managing her stress, especially while pregnant,” Brown said. “Ki showed commitment to herself and the program by keeping all her appointments.”

Throughout the process, Ki was able to maintain close relationships with her siblings, work with her son’s father and reconcile with her own father.

“Ki still works through and has learned to process hard emotions, but she is now more comfortable with expressing them as they come up,” Brown said. “She now holds herself accountable when it comes to decision making, how she presents herself and with keeping appointments and taking care of herself.”

Ki’s growth has included a better job, a new apartment and an optimistic outlook.

“The only difference now is that she treats herself the same way she has always been able to treat others,” Brown said. “She continues to work hard on herself and her goals every day.”

Ki’s son is due in September. The LCPHUB will continue to work with her up to her son’s first birthday.

Learn more about the HUB by clicking here.