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CMW Sneak Peek: Reaching out to the disadvantaged obstetrics population

Case Management Weekly, September 10, 2008

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The nurses in the Maternity Care Coordinator Program office in the birthing center at Prince William Hospital in Manassas, VA, spend their days educating and finding care for pregnant women who normally have to forego prenatal care due to lack of income.

“Our reality is that you can get prenatal care if you have insurance; you have no problem. But if you have Medicaid, or no insurance, then you have a problem,” says Teresa Baltuano-Post, RN, IBCLC, a nurse at Prince William.

The women the program potentially helps are uninsured and do not qualify for government care, which means, without assistance, they would likely go their entire pregnancy without seeing a physician. Without prenatal care, high-risk pregnancies can be overlooked and complications can occur. These patients are more likely to become drop-ins who come to the hospital only when it’s time to deliver the baby.

The Maternity Care Coordinator Program is a great resource for these patients, not only because it takes the time to interview them and assess their needs, but because it contains nurses, such as Baltuano-Post, who are bilingual and can communicate more easily with patients who do not speak English.

Check out the September 2008 issue of Case Management Monthly to get the full story, and check out all the benefits of being a Case Management Monthly subscriber!

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