Melissa Tran, MA, LMFT, an AAMFT Professional Member holding the Clinical Fellow designation, at the Orlando VA Healthcare System, won the Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in InnoVAtion for her Perinatal Reproductive Education and Planning Resources (PREPARe). PREPARe provides a holistic prenatal and postnatal support program involving nutrition, mental health and women’s health.
Support groups and classes are available for those who are expecting or recently postpartum. Offerings range from yoga, hypnosis and childbirth, lactation counseling, parenting styles, infant loss, infertility, post-partum depression, effective communication and how your health affects your child including nutrition and food safety.
This award recognizes and honors VA employees who have demonstrated excellence and enabled the discovery and spread of healthcare innovation that exceeds expectations, restores hope, and builds trust. Inspired by her own experience with motherhood, Tran developed the program to help other new parents navigate pregnancy and its related conditions. Tran often felt lost during her pregnancy and postpartum period, so she made it her mission to make sure that perinatal services, education and support are readily available across VHA.
Congratulations, Melissa, on this outstanding achievement!