Dr. Vania Jimenez (a family physician in the Department of Family Medicine) and Mrs. Am茅lie Sigouin, co-founders of La Maison Bleue, received a medal from the National Assembly in recognition of the great contribution their organization has had on Quebec society.
鈥淚 am very proud today to underline the excellence of the work of La Maison Bleue. For 15 years, this organization has concretely improved the living conditions of pregnant women living in vulnerable situations as well as those of their families. The organization has become a pillar of our community and a major player in social innovation in Quebec society. It is very reassuring to be able to count on such expertise. This work must be recognized, encouraged and supported," declared Mr. Fontecilla during the presentation of the medal of the National Assembly.
La Maison Bleue aims to reduce social inequalities by intervening with pregnant women in vulnerable situations. It promotes the optimal development of children, from their mother's womb until the age of 5 years. La Maison Bleue uses the unique opportunity of pregnancy to intervene beyond medical monitoring. Social perinatality, a concept developed by La Maison Bleue, closely associates the medical follow-up of pregnancy and early childhood with comprehensive educational and psychosocial support. This makes it then possible to open a dialogue with mothers in difficulty, breaking the isolation and equiping families to take charge of their well-being and that of their children.
During this event at La Maison Bleue in Parc-Extension, the co-founder of La Maison Bleue spoke about the work accomplished since the organization was founded in 2007.
鈥淩eceiving the medal from the National Assembly is an honor for us and demonstrates the recognition of elected officials to our mission with families living in vulnerable situations. We are proud of the path we have traveled and the unique expertise we have developed by putting pregnant women and their families at the heart of our interventions. Since our beginning in 2007, we have opened four sites in targeted neighborhoods of Montreal, offered our services to nearly 6,300 people, supported several social perinatal projects and we are currently working on the development of new sites. Thank you to the Maison Bleue teams and our institutional, community and financial partners who work with us to promote equal opportunities from pregnancy,鈥� said Am茅lie Sigouin.
Read the original article in French here: