The Burke Foundation team penned a blog post for Health Affairs on how Centering Healthcare Institute’s CenteringPregnancy prenatal care model adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CenteringPregnancy brings together eight to ten women of similar gestational age for the recommended schedule of 10 prenatal visits. Each in-person and virtual visit has a 90-minute format that includes private time with providers for a medical assessment, as well as an interactive discussion with providers, facilitators, and other expectant parents about timely health topics, such as nutrition, relationships, labor and delivery, and newborn care.
Despite the initial challenges faced by CenteringPregnancy providers, sites in New Jersey adapted and were able to continue offering group prenatal care services to expectant parents. Centering’s virtual and hybrid group prenatal care models helped ensure that patients continued to have access to education, care, and human connection and provided much-needed support for expectant parents navigating the health care system during a pandemic.
The Centering model’s agile response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions provides an inspirational example to maternal and child health stakeholders of how to develop innovative solutions that support both patients and providers in the face of new challenges. As we collectively look toward a future beyond the pandemic, these telehealth and hybrid delivery models demonstrate the extraordinary potential of group prenatal care to improve maternal and child health and well-being.
Read the full blog post here:
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210428.468372/full/