Project helping teenage mothers

Donna Suratt had her first child when she was 15 years old. Now, four years later, she is the mother of three children, Donna, Yvonne and Jeffrey. Suratt left school before the oldest was born and has not returned -- yet. Her experience is not that unusual. Three babies are born to mothers under 15 every week in Philadelphia. But Ann O'Sullivan, an associate nursing professor, is working with Suratt and other teen mothers to encourage them to return to school, to delay having more children, and to provide the children they already have with proper medical care. O'Sullivan began to work with teen mothers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in 1979. In her work she noticed that "some mothers did really well and some had a hard time." She also found that mothers who received closer personal attention were the ones that did better, so O'Sullivan decided to study the effects of guidance and personal care on the mothers. Pediatrician Donald Schwartz, registered nurse Terry Tesoro and social worker Ruth Low make up the team which works with the mothers at the clinic. "Dr. Schwartz and Anne O'Sullivan really care about the kids who come here," said Evelyn Reed, whose child will turn three this month. The mothers make appointments for their babies to receive medical care and shots at the clinic according to a schedule devised by the American Pediatric Association. "We've already had such positive results," O'Sullivan said. "I know we made a difference in immunizations already." After the baby's appointment, the mother can meet with social worker Low to discuss options for returning to school or work and to receive health insurance. Sonya Rembert, who started in the program in August 1989, said she successfully returned to school immediately. But others did not fare as well. Kea Jordan said she returned to school but left because of "family problems." Before the mothers leave the clinic, staffers will schedule appointments for them at a family planning center if one is needed. The mothers also receive reminders of their family planning and doctor's appointments as well as phone calls when they do not show up. "They call you before your appointment so you won't forget it. They do everything for you," mother Tamika Elmore said. Only half of the mothers O'Sullivan works with receive the extensive aid and guidance described above. The other half form the control group in O'Sullivan's study. Low and Tesoro visit members of both groups at the beginning and end of the study. During the visits, the mothers and grandmothers fill out the questionnaires the study is based on. The mothers answer questions on their academic progress and history, sources of income, family situation, living arrangements, use of controlled substances, sexual habits and the medical care their babies received. The grandmothers' questionnaire asks about health insurance and sources of income, the grandmother's level of education and her age when she had children. O'Sullivan is currently conducting her third study since she began researching in 1983. The first two did not include grandmothers. The statistics from the second study are still being processed, but the first study found that only 12 percent of the mothers in the experimental group had a second child during the 18-month study compared to 28 percent in the control group. Although only 33 percent of the babies in the control group were fully immunized, even less -- 18 percent -- were immunized in the control group. "We know at the end of 18 months half go back [to school] no matter what we do," said O'Sullivan. The clinic is open to women from the past studies on Friday afternoons. About 14 of them show up each week. The current study is partially funded by $12,000 from the Collaborative Grant Program of the Nursing School. The participants in the intervention group all pay for their care with insurance. All teen mothers are eligible for this insurance through Medicaid. "Some places make you feel low, here they make you feel special," said mother Nyree Bennett. "I'm comfortable here because they're all teens."