Designed to provide support during pregnancy and through a baby’s first months, Sea Mar Community Health centers in Battle Ground and Washougal launched their Maternity Support Services (MSS) program Oct. 18 at both locations.
As a part of the program, the Battle Ground location is also offering free pregnancy testing Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., for walk-in appointments. Women can also utilize the free pregnancy testing during all other days and times by appointment. The Sea Mar Community Health Center in Battle Ground is located at 701 E. Main St., Battle Ground.
Valinda Wetmore, an options counselor for the program, said they will also be offering free pregnancy testing starting Nov. 3 at the Clark County Center for Community Health, 1601 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., third floor, Vancouver. Wetmore said anyone can utilize the free pregnancy testing and there are no income restrictions or guidelines.
After initial pregnancy testing, depending on the results, Wetmore said they will then offer the mother-to-be some different options and possible counseling. Women qualify for MSS if they are pregnant and Medicaid-eligible, no matter who their medical provider is or where they plan to deliver their baby.
Wetmore said the MSS team that qualifying women will work with includes a community health nurse, social worker, registered dietitian and breast-feeding peer counselors. She said they also currently have an AmeriCorps volunteer at the center who is a certified doula. A doula is someone who provides non-medical support to women and their families during labor and childbirth, and also during the postpartum period.
"During the counseling, we pull out our toolbox of references and referrals, and depending on which direction the woman wants to go, we provide them with a wide variety of resources," Wetmore said.
Wetmore said counselors talk to the women about accessing medical care, help them enroll in MSS if they are eligible and then help them enroll in medical care and help them enroll in WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The women who are a part of the MSS program can usually receive several free services and will continue to receive postpartum support until their baby is 3 months old.
Each person involved in the MSS team has a role to play. Wetmore said the community health nurse will support the individual by helping them access prenatal care, preparing them for the pregnancy, labor and the delivery and will also discuss newborn care and postpartum care. The social worker, Wetmore said, will discuss what’s going on during the pregnancy with the individual and will help that individual access resources if they need assistance with drug or alcohol problems, violence, homelessness and more.
Wetmore said a registered dietitian will be available for the client through the WIC program if needed for a healthy pregnancy. She said breast-feeding support will come from everyone on the MSS team.
Wetmore said they decided to start offering this program in the Battle Ground and Washougal areas in order to try and ensure better birth outcomes and to make sure the women have healthy babies. She said that in rural communities, such as Battle Ground, there is often issues with transportation and expecting mothers may not be able to get the proper prenatal care that they need.
"There is often issues with transportation, especially with young mothers, who may not even be driving yet," Wetmore said. "We need to ensure that mothers are getting early prenatal care, especially the ones who are between the ages of 15-19. Really good prenatal care can make a difference in the pregnancy and can create better healthy outcomes for the baby."
Wetmore said that parents don’t have to be involved if a teenage mother wants to utilize the services of the MSS program. She said teen pregnancies have really shot up over the past few years and the most important thing is to make sure young mothers are getting good prenatal care, are having healthy pregnancies and that newborns are being set up for success.
Julie Yu is the program manager for the MSS program. To learn more about the program or to set up an appointment for a free pregnancy test, call (360) 213-1340 or email julieyu@seamarchc.org.
