The success of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s virtual CenteringPregnancy program has gained the attention of many in our community, including NY1 News.
Members of the hospital’s Women’s Health Department were interviewed by reporter Clodagh McGowan to learn more about the benefits offered by the program. Viewers were allowed access to a virtual group session that included eight expecting mothers, and program facilitators demonstrated the efficacy of an online prenatal model of care.
The CenteringPregnancy program at Jamaica Hospital was introduced in 2014 as a unique way to help pregnant women become more actively involved in their prenatal care and share their experiences with other moms in a group setting. Sessions were held onsite at the Women’s Health clinic.
The program continued to thrive since its inception; however, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 presented a new challenge. Group participants were no longer able to meet in person due to social distancing and safety regulations.
The absence of community and physical interactions began to affect pregnant women in several ways. Studies show that over 50% of expecting mothers admitted to feeling extremely lonely and isolated due to spending more time at home, and away from others. These factors are believed to be contributors to a rise in prenatal depression.
Jamaica Hospital’s Women’s Health Department provided a solution to this problem by offering pregnant women a safe place where they could gather in the age of COVID and feel supported. The department moved its CenteringPregnancy program to a virtual space on Zoom. Here, patients of the hospital could continue to receive prenatal care and actively engage with a community of healthcare providers and fellow moms.
Jamaica Hospital’s virtual CenteringPregnancy program has been highly successful. The program has earned recognition from leading institutions and is used to demonstrate the benefits of virtual prenatal care to other medical facilities. The NY1 story has been shared on social media by several notable leaders in healthcare including the University of North Carolina’s Gilling School of Global Public Health and Centering Healthcare Institute CEO Angie Truesdale, both commending the work of the program.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the pregnancy experience for a lot of women, and we are constantly thinking of ways to make it as positive as we can,” said Patricia Fox, Certified Midwife. “Our team has established this unique, virtual platform so that we can provide our patients with a healthcare service that is convenient, safe, and supportive. We understand how important these things are during these unprecedented times,” shared Thalita Viruet, Practice Manager for the Women’s Health Center.
You can watch the news story here: