MVHC Chosen to Implement New Pregnancy Program

Ohio is among the worst states in the country for infant mortality.

Ranked 47th, Ohio is now implementing a Centering Pregnancy Model to try and combat this crisis. Ohio leaders, in collaboration with the Kasich Administration, selected four federally qualified health centers in the state to pilot this new program, and one of those is right here in Muskingum County.

“The Patient Centering Program is a program that will be offered to women who will present in groups of eight to 12, and within the groups, they will be provided with education and skills that they will need to help improve the health of their babies, and actually the health of themselves during the pregnancy,” said Stacie Sweet, Certified Nurse Practitioner, MVHC.

Some lead factors contributing to high infant mortality, include lack of education, smoking during pregnancy, gestational diabetes and hypertension. Other states have seen success with similar programs, and Sweet hopes for the same in this community.

“We are very honored to be one out of four, federally qualified health centers in Ohio to be chosen, and we are very honored and very excited about this program,” Sweet said.

Along with centers in Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton, the state chose MVHC because of its record of delivering high quality and low cost care.