As a mother of two and elder caretaker, Natisha Ivey is a powerful advocate for family support programs in rural counties, maternal and infant mental health resources, and collaboration between systems that support families. Now a parent leader in rural Montcalm County, Natisha leverages her unique experiences to support other families.
“It’s been amazing to feel like I am helping bring awareness to things that are important to me, and it’s nice to represent a small area,” said Natisha. “The idea of bringing parent leadership here for other parents is something that’s close to my heart.”
A member of the Montcalm County community, Natisha regularly had to travel 40 minutes into Grand Rapids to access the resources she needed at Corewell Health’s Grand Rapids OBGYN residency clinic, a teaching practice for resident healthcare professionals. Because of her high-risk pregnancy and frequent appointments, she had to make this commute often, making appointments difficult to attend. In Kent County, Natisha was able to access maternal and infant health resources, which were key to her transition into motherhood. After the unique birth experience and complications she experienced with her first child, the residency clinic provided referrals and education for other services like Early On.
These resources were critical to her experience during pregnancy and postpartum: the programs Natisha accessed supported new mothers for a year after birth, and since Natisha’s second child was born only 14 months later, there was only a short period she was without support.
“Both maternal infant health and Early On were great programs that I would not have known I had access to if I hadn’t gone to the residency clinic in Kent County,” said Natisha.
In addition to her experience with maternal and infant health programs, Natisha has navigated the complexity of balancing child care and elder care. Natisha’s mother needed intensive, 24-hour care before her passing, and she is still a primary caregiver to her father. The experience of caregiving for multiple generations was logistically and emotionally challenging for her.
“It’s a lot to take on as far as mental load goes,” she said. “Scheduling things for an elderly parent on a schedule that works for my kids, while working nights, is complicated. It was difficult, before they went to school.”
According to Natisha, communication and collaboration between the hospital system and other resources in Kent County made it possible for her to access necessary services. Natisha compared this seamless collaboration to programs administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which require time-consuming applications and duplicative recertification processes for families accessing multiple benefits. When Natisha lost her mother, still parenting two small children, she lost insurance and food assistance because she was unable to keep up with the process’ demanding schedule. Alongside fellow parent leaders who have experienced the complications and extra stressors that often lead to families needing support, Natisha is advocating to remove obstacles that make these services inaccessible.
“It might seem intimidating for other parents to get involved, but it’s very inclusive. Organizations are learning the value of parent leadership so they can make these programs work better for everybody—it’s rewarding,” said Natisha. “You’re not only helping your children, you’re helping other people’s children.”
Join a collective of parent and family leaders like Natisha to advocate for the families in your community. Learn more about Think Babies Michigan.