BIRTHLINE OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY INC

Who are the people you serve with your mission?

Birthline serves low-income pregnant women and families with at least one child age 6 or younger from all over San Diego County.

How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

Case management notes, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, We have hired former clients and several more clients serve as volunteers. ,

How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

What significant change resulted from feedback?

During COVID-19, there was an extensive formula shortage for poor families. After hearing about this problem from numerous clients, Birthline contacted WIC management, formula manufacturers, and retail stores to try and coordinate a more systemic solution. We also asked the community and our generous donors to donate formula so we had a steady supply to give to families in need. Birthline was part of the solution and thanks to our generous supporters, Birthline has increased the amount of formula we give out each month by over 100%

With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

Our staff, Our board, Our community partners,

How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

At every visit, we meet with our clients in a one-on-one confidential setting and listen with compassion. That is the core of our case management. As our clients feel heard and safe, they are able to open up to us about the difficulties they are experiencing and the services they need. They often tell us how we could be doing a better job with the services we provide (i.e. formula, feminine products) and we evaluate and adapt to their suggestions. We also have a former client as an advisor to our Board of Directors who is repeatedly providing the perspective of our clients.

Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently,