VNA Foundation funds new prenatal care model

Swedish Covenant Hospital was recently granted funds by VNA Foundation to launch a new model of prenatal care for low-income pregnant women. The new model, called CenteringPregnancy, will launch in the midwifery group this spring. It replaces one-on-one prenatal visits with group sessions to promote greater patient engagement, empowerment, and community-building.“We are grateful for the generosity and support of VNA Foundation in implementing a new model of care to better serve our patients,” said Rosemary Baldwin, Swedish Covenant Hospital nurse midwife.The Centering model empowers women by valuing the experience each woman brings to the group, while building knowledge through skill-building and education. Women are better equipped to take control of their health, their pregnancies, and their families. Centering also supports the development of a social network of mothers who can support one another, while reducing the power differential between women and their health care providers.The mission of the Swedish Covenant Hospital Midwifery Group is to provide outstanding preventive and primary health care, accessible to all in their own communities. They accomplish this by employing 10 Certified Nurse Midwives who specialize in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and well-woman care. The practice provides more than 12,000 outpatient visits and attends 720 births per year. Almost half of the patients seen by the Midwifery Group are Medicaid-eligible or uninsured.To learn more about Foundation and Corporate Giving at Swedish Covenant Hospital Foundation, click here or contact the Foundation at Foundation@swedishcovenant.org or 773-293-5121.