Courtney Children’s Foundation focuses on prenatal care

Courtney Children's Foundation mentors pregnant women on proper prenatal care.

"It's very important that you take care of yourself during the early prenatal stages," says Suzanne Kuhn, executive director of the nonprofit organization. "A baby that's born prematurely can have birth defects, learning disabilities, problems with eyesight and hearing, and the list goes on."

Currently, 30 volunteer "resource mothers" are assigned a client to assist through pregnancy. They help between 50 and 75 clients a year.

"There are so many risk factors people are not aware of -- especially teenagers," she says. "You have to stay away from secondhand smoke, you shouldn't be drinking. Stress has a lot to do with it as well."

Courtney Children's Foundation was started in 1993 at the Clark County Health District by namesake Fran Courtney, who was head of nursing at the time.

"She noticed that prenatal mentoring -- not by nurses or social workers, but by moms and friends -- had a very high success rate," Kuhn says.

The organization -- headquartered at 818 W. Brooks Ave. with five valley satellite locations -- employs four part-time workers and one full-time staffer.

Funded entirely by private donations, its yearly budget is $230,000 -- which is $20,000 less than the possible hospital costs to care for a premature baby, according to Kuhn.

"And most of our clients are on welfare and Medicaid" she says. "We target the areas that have the highest percent of low-birth-weight babies and the highest infant mortality rate."

Efforts are concentrated in North Las Vegas and West Las Vegas, Kuhn says, although assistance is available to anyone in need.

Volunteers are always needed. For more information about Courtney Children's Foundation, call 315-5159.