what can i do IN MY COMMUNITY?
Many placenta accreta survivors get involved in their community to spread the word about accreta, bring awareness to the cause, and to help improve maternal health. Here are some examples of how accreta survivors have used their experience to advocate locally:
Spread the word
As part of Accreta Awareness Month, Colorado accreta survivors Kate, Manda and Tine used our accreta awareness kits as a starting point to make Halloween care packages that they hand delivered to local hospitals.
The kits brought awareness to accreta and cesarean overuse to the obstetricians, nurses and other providers on the units as well as connected accreta moms to National Accreta Foundation patient resources, including Colorado’s accreta support group.
Send an awareness kit to your local hospital today!
HELP PASS LEGISLATION
Accreta survivor Molly used her accreta experience and story to testify in the House and Senate Health Care Committees on legislation to extend and expand the maternal mortality review panel in Washington State, and to ensure that the consumer voice was represented. Thanks in part to Molly's testimony, SB 5425 passed and Molly was happy to attend the bill’s signing.
Molly didn’t stop there, she also participated as a patient stakeholder in a meeting of her state’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC) and a stakeholder workgroup as part of Washington’s involvement in The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM).
Reach out to your local PQCs and legislative resources to see how you can get involved.
Visit other Accreta moms in the hospital
Come support another accreta mom during her accreta experience IRL! Visit our support groups to see if there are any hospitalized moms in your area and stop by to say hello. It can be a wonderful thing to have a visitor who truly gets it. Many moms who do this stay friends and keep in touch for years to follow.
Learn How to share your story and become an advocate
National Accreta Foundation is part of multiple events every year that are great opportunities to meet other accreta moms, learn from each other, and hone your skills on how to make change. Check out our events page to see what’s coming up, and read about our involvement in such events as Champions for Change Summit, March for Moms, and Mom Congress. Join us! We’d love to meet you. We also recommend joining MoMMA’s Voices as an individual (it’s free!) by submitting your story on their site and getting access to their free patient advocate training.
HOST A BLOOD DRIVE AND ENCOURAGE BLOOD DONATION
Accreta survivor Joanna knew that 90% of placenta accreta mothers require blood transfusion, and 40% need more than 10 units of donor blood. She worked with her local blood center to use her story as a resource to help show donors the incredible impact blood donation makes to accreta families. Joanna’s friends hosted a blood drive in her honor, and as soon as she was eligible Joanna became a committed donor herself. Help pay it forward and ensure that the next accreta mom has access to the blood products that may be needed for her care.
Share your story with a blood bank
Accreta survivor Alexis Carena partnered with her local blood bank, Inova Blood, as part of a digital campaign that featured her story in order to bring awareness to accreta and encourage website visitors to donate blood in honor of moms like her. Also, read about Erin Jensen’s desire to give back and honor their experience inspired Erin to begin hosting an annual blood drive for her community.
Show your #accretapride
Purchase NAF gear and wear it proudly. You never know who you may strike up a conversation with to bring awareness to accreta and our shirts and awareness kits can be the perfect ice breakers. Take photos in your gear and post on social media along with your story and a fundraiser to commemorate important anniversaries and milestones and help fundraise for National Accreta Foundation.
Make care packages for moms in the hospital
Texas accreta moms Leah and Crystal met when Leah brought Crystal a care package while she was hospitalized for her accreta experience. The two have become great friends and now get together multiple times a year to create care packages for accreta moms at their local hospital. The kits contain snacks, cozy socks and bathmats, adult coloring books and information on National Accreta Foundation patient & family resources. They put a lot of thought into the items they include, seeking donations of items and monetary support to keep the tradition going. They even bring their accreta babies along to hand deliver!
be a social media champion
You don’t have to wait until Accreta Awareness Month to use our campaign toolkit to bring awareness to your network via social media. The toolkit is full of premade images and sample text you can post on your accounts across all platforms throughout the year. Tell your story as part of a fundraiser to help bring attention to the cause and provide an opportunity for your network to support you in making change to #preventaccreta. Help us grow our social media following - make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn and encourage your friends and family to do the same.
TELL US what you’re doing in your community
Are you advocating in a new and unique way that others can learn from? We’d love to feature your work on this page and our social media accounts. Send us a note and photo at advocate@preventaccreta.org or via our contact form.
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National Accreta Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to placenta accreta advocacy. Thank you for your support.