Women’s clinic adds prenatal care

Only six months after relocating to 1833 Fillmore to deliver free medical care to uninsured and underinsured women, the Women’s Community Clinic has expanded to offer prenatal services to young women in need.

The new program for pregnant women 21 and under is a collaboration between the clinic and the UCSF School of Nursing, which previously offered these services at Mt. Zion Hospital.

“Pregnant teens need high quality, accessible prenatal services,” says Carlina Hansen, executive director of the clinic. “We are proud to partner with UCSF to offer these services and to help young women and families in our community.”

Working alongside UCSF faculty, nursing students will get intensive training in prenatal care, which will in turn increase their future employment opportunities. And the hope is that students and volunteers working in the project will be inspired to become health care professionals serving underserved communities.

While the clinic does not turn away women who need care, the new project focuses on teenage mothers, particularly African Americans in the Western Addition. Needs assessments conducted with area community leaders indicate access to health care resources and information in the area is poor and that teen pregnancy rates are higher than average. Citywide, African Americans have the highest teen birth rate of all demographic groups and an infant mortality rate 2.5 times higher than whites and Hispanics. A high percentage of the Western Addition teens also have low incomes.

EARLIER: “Health care for women by women“