By Paula Day

Catholic Social Services has announced a new direction for its Crisis Pregnancy and Adoption Services program.

Plans call for CSS to work collaboratively with parishes in the archdiocese to provide a comprehensive range of services to women who are pregnant and need help. A salaried volunteer coordinator, under the supervision of Crisis Pregnancy program director Jean Reiss, will develop a network of volunteers from the parish.

“We cannot do it without the parishes,” commented CSS assistant director Pam Buckmaster, “and the parishes cannot do it without us.” Peggy Sinanian of the archdiocesan Pro-Life Office describes the parishes as “the hands, feet and heart” of any crisis pregnancy program.

“We are inviting people in the parishes who have an interest to participate in crisis pregnancy as a ministry,” Mrs. Sinanian said. Catholic Social Services will provide training of volunteers, technical assistance, oversight and backup.

In early December Mrs. Sinanian and Catholic Social Services personnel met with members of the pro-life community. Sixty-five people concerned about pro-life issues or involved in the past with the Crisis Pregnancy program discussed the proposed restructuring of CSS’ Crisis Pregnancy/Adoption Services.

CSS had identified four areas for the program: prenatal medical services, direct assistance, counseling, and life skills services. The agency had already been working in some of the areas. A few parishes had also been doing “some of the pieces either on their own or with this office,” Mrs. Buckmaster pointed out.

Those attending the December 4 meeting were asked to present the restructuring proposal to their parishes and invite persons who have an interest or skill in any of the four areas to volunteer to work with the program. A response from those parishes is expected by mid-January.

“We anticipate starting small,” Mrs. Buckmaster said, “in parishes which have a cluster of volunteers already identified.”

One area of the restructured program is prenatal medical services. In addition to enabling pregnant women to gain access to quality medical care, this service will give them information about qualified physicians and make appropriate referrals. Where needed, women will be given help in applying for Medicaid or other third party health coverage. Volunteers will provide support for labor and delivery through education of the expectant mother about childbirth, labor coaching and follow up with her after delivery of the baby.

CSS expects the volunteers to be particularly involved in the area of direct assistance. This help could be in the form of transportation, providing a host home before delivery, a foster home for the infant, giving money for medical care, gathering and dispensing material items such as diapers, maternity and baby clothing, playpens and toys.

The CSS staff will continue to give crisis and long-term therapeutic counseling for pregnant women and their families, another focus of the crisis program.

A new area of assistance from the restructured services will be providing life skills. Here too, volunteers can be particularly involved. It is hoped persons at the parish level will help women work toward achieving their academic goals, pursue vocational development and gain parenting and child-care skills.

“All parishes won’t do everything,” Mrs. Buckmaster pointed out. Some may want to specialize in an area they find especially important or one using the talents and professional skills of their parishioners.

CSS hopes to hire the volunteer coordinator by March 1. Of immediate concern, Mrs. Buckmaster said, is manning a “hot line” for the Crisis Pregnancy office in the Catholic Center. Such phone coverage will insure that a woman needing assistance will not get an answering service when she call for help.

Involving parishes in crisis pregnancy brings the ministry full circle, according to Mrs. Buckmaster. “This is the way the people in the archdiocese have been involved in the past with the challenge of crisis pregnancy.”