Mia Short has always known she wanted to work with children. Originally, she thought she might meet that passion by working as a school counselor, but having the opportunity to intern at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG)’s Infant-Parent Program changed everything for her.
“I really like working at [ZSFG] with this population,” Mia shares. “I also love how the people I work with come together to help the most vulnerable population in San Francisco.”
Today, Mia works as a Mental Health Clinician for the Solid Start Program. Solid Start at ZSFG encircles all pregnant people, children, and families with integrated, evidence-based resources and care. By providing whole-person centered care with the availability of psychiatrists, mental health providers, and patient navigators, Solid Start is able to provide support during this critical time in a family’s journey.
“We are helping families thrive and not just survive,” Mia shares. “We want them to enjoy this really exciting time when their children are first born.”
In her role as a Mental Health Clinician, Mia works with families from the early stages of pregnancy all the way to postpartum. She plays an essential role in ensuring all patients receive whole-person care by providing access to therapy, connecting parents with primary care and their children with pediatric care, and offering emotional support whenever needed.
Mia also provides racially concordant care, a system where provider and patient are from the same racial background. She shares that being able to offer patients the option of being treated by a provider from the same cultural background helps people trust the team and feel comfortable bringing their families to access care.
“It’s about building trust,” Mia says. “Being able to have somebody that understands you makes a big difference in how people access care.”
The work Mia and her team do every day is critical in supporting women and their families at every stage of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care. At the most vulnerable time in life, Mia welcomes every individual with open arms and a judgment-free listening ear.
Mia shares that while her work is challenging, it is also immensely rewarding. She adds that it’s very exciting to work with babies and have the opportunity to watch them grow and develop into happy and healthy children.
Additionally, working with individuals over long periods has allowed Mia to follow the parents’ journeys and support them as they grow their families.
“I feel really lucky to help this population because it takes a lot of courage for people to ask for help and seek out services,” Mia says. “It’s an honor.”