“ I laughed out loud,”
Guevara said.
“My husband thought it was the
most amazing thing.”
From the very beginning of her pregnancy, Guevara had been engaged in her prenatal
care at The Center for Children and Women. The Center, located in the historically
underserved community of Greenspoint in North Houston, is designed to care for
this vulnerable population and provide them access to the right care at the right place,
right in their own community. The Center serves Texas Children’s Health Plan’s CHIP
(Children’s Heath Insurance Program) and Medicaid members. Texas Children’s
Health Plan is a subsidiary of Texas Children’s Hospital and covers more than 300,000
members. The facility removes barriers to receiving care for patients who may otherwise
go without the necessary appointments. For Guevara, The Center provided more
than just traditional prenatal care. As a patient at The Center and a participant in the
CenteringPregnancy
®
program, Guevara had access to registered nurses, physicians,
certified nurse midwives and even other expectant mothers. CenteringPregnancy
®
provides group prenatal care and creates an environment where the women are
empowered to take ownership of their care.
“The model of care at The Center is designed to
treat the patient and family holistically, providing the
services they need that day, without having them
make multiple trips to multiple locations,”
said Tangula Taylor, director of Business Development.
The Center provides care for pediatric patients, from newborns up to age 19, and
pregnant women. It is also equipped with an on-site pharmacy, radiology services,
ultrasonography, optometry care, dental care and behavioral health services. It even
has an on-site laboratory that can analyze everything from rapid strep and flu tests to
complete blood count tests for the families. The services are available seven days a
week, evenings and weekends for families who cannot take time off from work.
The Center provides the care Guevara needed for a healthy pregnancy. Rather than
simply meeting with an Ob/Gyn once a month with only a few minutes for questions,
Guevara had ongoing access to her health care professionals. She called The Center
and spoke directly to a registered nurse about any questions or concerns.
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