HOEM Background
The House of Esther Ministries (HOEM) is a private, non-profit maternity home located in Chesapeake, VA. The organization targets girls ages 14 to 18 who experience a crisis pregnancy. HOEM was founded by Dr. B. Courtney and Rev. Janeen L. McBath in 2001 and was established October 22, 2002.
Criteria for Admission
Prospective clients must be medically cleared by a licensed physician as being pregnant and low-risk, as well as being in their first trimester of pregnancy. The client must be serious about her life and the life of her unborn child. The client must be willing to continue her education or find work after her baby is born.
HOEM Main Objective
The main objective is to target teens experiencing a crisis pregnancy and those who are at risk, as well as, assuring wellness care before and after the baby’s birth.
Without proper prenatal care and education, the risk of low birth weight for infants and prenatal delivery nearly doubles. These objectives were developed to eliminate the risk of pregnancy without prenatal care for teens at risk and help to improve the health and quality of life for pregnant teens and their unborn child.
HOEM Quality Measures
Improve the health outcomes for both the mother and the baby by:
- Decreasing infant mortality and morbidity
- Decreasing the rate of low birth weight babies
- Delaying repeat pregnancy and to encourage adolescents to postpone sexual activity until marriage
- Keeping teens in school
- Reuniting the family
- Involving the infant's father in parenting his child
