It was during my second pregnancy when the changes really hit me. I had recently moved to the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. This is where I now work as a perinatal case manager for Maternal and Child Health Access and where most of my clients live, but at the time I was unemployed. During the pregnancy, I noticed my anxiety and depression growing so strong they almost knocked me over.
I was training to be a mental health specialist and had been looking for a job for two years. My partner was also unemployed. Our home life was difficult. We were living in a roach- and mold-infested apartment. We did not have a bed, so we slept on the cold floor. Sometimes we did not have electricity or working gas. I was not receiving any prenatal care. I was enrolled in Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, and the plan did little to help me find a provider.
[For more of this story, written by Martha Escudero, go to https://www.centerforhealthjou...helps-others-do-same]
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