Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal will visit a birthing center on Tuesday, August 15 to highlight a United Way of Central Georgia program that educates and supports new parents.

Deal will meet brand new mothers at the Family Birth Center at The Medical Center, Navicent Health. She’ll present each of them with immunization cards while talking about the importance of getting children immunized. She’ll also give the parents books, stuffed animals or other gifts.

The event is scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. Journalists planning to attend Ms. Deal’s visit should contact Public Relations, Navicent Health at 478-550-4380 prior to arriving on campus.

“Navicent Health is pleased to partner with First Steps and United Way to educate families about the importance of immunization. We are honored to welcome First Lady Sandra Deal as she champions this cause and speaks with our patient families,” said Tracey Blalock, chief nursing executive for Navicent Health.

The First Steps program helps parents expecting a baby or families with young children up to age 5. First Steps staff meets with parents or caregivers and can refer them to support programs based on the family need. The program focuses on five areas: maternal health, child and infant health, family economic sustainability, school readiness and home and family safety.

“It makes families better able to prepare their children for school so they are ready, day one, for kindergarten,” said Lauralen Avery, First Steps service coordinator in Bibb County. “The journey to kindergarten starts as soon as baby gets here.”