Southern Indiana Community Health Care received an award from the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Division to increase availability of prenatal care for women in targeted areas.
The purpose of this grant is to help meet the needs of women and families in rural areas of the state where needed obstetrical services are not available nearby.
Southern Indiana Community Health Care (SICHC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community health center with comprehensive primary care offices in Paoli, West Baden, English, and Marengo, Indiana.
SICHC has provided accessible prenatal care to rural women for over four decades and is expanding those options to women in counties that have no inpatient delivery services and no local prenatal care.
Chief Executive Officer, Nancy Radcliff, states, “SICHC feels honored to partner with ISDH to open two new offices and expand OB services in Washington, Martin, and Crawford counties. Our organization has always focused on how we can best serve patients while reducing as many barriers as possible, including transportation. Bringing obstetric and prenatal care to new counties is a step in the right direction for the women and families of southern Indiana.”
A traveling SICHC Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and a team of SICHC physicians will collaborate to provide prenatal care, postpartum care, family planning, and well-baby visits.
These services will be provided at six locations including Shoals, Salem, West Baden, English, Marengo, and Paoli. Later this year, the SICHC obstetrics team will grow with the addition of new physicians to strengthen OB services further.
“I am thrilled to be a part of the SICHC team and to be providing obstetric care in these areas where such services are lacking,” says Missy Ray, FNP, SICHC’s traveling OB provider. “It can be a hardship during pregnancy for expectant mothers to get to appointments on a regular basis. By opening these offices, I am hopeful that we can relieve this burden and continue to provide compassionate, skilled care that patients need in their own communities.”
SICHC physicians will assist moms in delivery at IU Health Paoli Hospital. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Yolanda Yoder, reports that “moms and families in South Central Indiana have positively described the high-quality care they receive when delivering at IU Health Paoli Hospital. They appreciate the flexible, patient centered approach of tailored birth plans, great support for breastfeeding, and focused attention and care from nursing staff.” SICHC and IU Health Paoli have been ongoing partners in providing rural maternity care and ensuring it remains strong well into the future.
Assessments of the mother’s physical and emotional wellbeing will be conducted throughout the pregnancy and postpartum period.
As an integrated health center, SICHC can provide internal referrals to mental health providers and substance abuse medication-assisted treatment prescribers as needed.
External referrals to community collaborators like Nurse Family Partnership, Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program, and other social support agencies will also be available.
SICHC participates as a Medicaid provider and has in-house staff to assist clients with insurance enrollment. Please visit www.sichc.org or call our offices to schedule your appointment (812) 723-3944
