You At Your Best

4 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | nwAdg.cOm/YOUATYOURBEST JUnE - mEnTAl HEAlTH | SATURdAY, mAY 25, 2019 sPonsoR ConTenT sPeCiAL To nWA DeMoCRAT-GAzeTTe March of Dimes recently announced that Willow Creek Women's Clinic was the first Supportive Pregnancy Care (SPC) site in the state of Arkansas, designed to help improve mother and baby health during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and infancy. Willow Creek Women's Clinic is located at Willow Creek Women's Hospital, 4301 Greathouse Springs Road in Johnson. The March of Dimes SPC program offers prenatal care in a group setting with moms-to-be of similar gestational ages. At each group session, women learn to perform their own self-care by measuring and recording their own weight and blood pressure with the help of a facilitator. An obstetrician meets individually with each woman to perform a physical assessment and discuss specific concerns in a private area within the group space. During each SPC visit, women have more time with their health care providers than they would during conventional individual prenatal checkups, and benefit not only from prenatal care education, but also from the vital social and emotional support they receive from other mothers. The first SPC program will start in June. Interested women – who will be in their first trimester of pregnancy in June – should call (479) 757-1730 for more information or to enroll. "We are thrilled to be Arkansas' first site for this innovative program that will benefit both mothers and babies," said Dr. Serena Pierson, an Obstetrician- Gynecologist speaking on behalf of Willow Creek Women's Clinic. "The SPC environment can empower women to take control of their pregnancy care and fosters relationships that can last throughout their pregnancies and beyond. National research has shown that a group setting for prenatal care is associated with fewer preterm births, reduced incidence of low-birth-weight infants, and shorter neonatal intensive care stays." March of Dimes shares a passion and commitment to improving maternal health and prenatal outcomes, believing that an innovative approach like the SPC program can help play a key role in breaking down some of the barriers these expectant mothers encounter during their pregnancy—hopefully leading to fewer preterm births. Multiple studies have demonstrated that group prenatal care: • Reduces preterm birth and rapid repeat pregnancy • Improves psychological outcomes including readiness for labor and delivery • Increases rates of breastfeeding initiation • Decreases rates of small-for-gestational age babies • Reduces health care costs • Empowers women and increases patient and provider satisfaction with care "We know that limited access to quality healthcare during pregnancy, exacerbated by racial and ethnic disparities, plays a decisive role in the rising rate of preterm birth in the United States. In fact, women of color are up to 50 percent more likely to deliver prematurely," said Dr. Sameer Wagle, a Neonatologist and Perinatal Medicine Specialist who serves on the Board for the local March of Dimes chapter and also practices at Willow Creek Women's Hospital. The program is open to any expecting mother interested in participating, regardless of insurance coverage. One in 10 babies in the United States is born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy), meaning that the U.S. has one of the worst preterm birth rates of any high-income country in the world. The 2018 Premature Birth Report Card from March of Dimes, released on November 1, shows that preterm birth rate rose again last year for the third year in a row. Babies who survive an early birth often have lifelong health issues such as learning disabilities, vision and hearing loss. Even infants born just a few weeks early have a greater risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), feeding difficulties, temperature instability, which can increase the risk for hypothermia, jaundice and delayed brain development. March of Dimes and Willow Creek Women's Clinic announce first joint supportive pregnancy care program First site in Arkansas launching in Johnson, offering an innovative model of group prenatal care Pictured left to right: Dr. Jan Furniss, Dr. serena Pierson and Dr. Alexis McCollum

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