Whitney Mendel has a deep understanding of the Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network, created four decades ago to battle high infant mortality rates in poor areas and help mothers remain healthy during pregnancy, through childbirth and beyond.
The public health professional served on the BPPN’s board for eight years and now consults, so she’s witnessed the agency’s growth from inside and out. It’s not a stagnant operation.
“Watching how responsive this agency is, is fairly remarkable to me,” Mendel told a group of network partners and collaborators Friday at the organization’s new office space at 703 Washington St.
“We’ve seen time and time again programs that are offered that are not really specific to the needs of the people that they’re serving. That’s not what this is. It’s ever-growing, ever tapping into what their clients are needing and responsive to those needs to the best of their ability.”
BPPN outgrew its previous location on Delaware Avenue and moved to the corner of Washington and West Tupper streets in March. Its three-floor site provides office space to growth staff, community rooms for support groups and a chance to debut the Baby Café, a resource for breastfeeding mothers.
The organization’s hourlong presentation, kicked off by President and CEO LuAnne Brown, focused less on the new digs and more on programming, which is referral-based with some outreach. The agency’s mission revolves around trained caseworkers visiting clients’ homes to provide direct support, but is split into three general tiers.
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