Maternity Care
There is a critical need for maternity services in the Washington County and Yamhill County areas. First trimester entry into prenatal care and solving the problem of low birth weight rates are a focus for the health plan.
Maternity Care is provided in two clinics, Hillsboro Healthy Start Clinic and the McMinnville Clinic. The prenatal program includes OB case managers who provide on-going case management services to all pregnant women enrolled in prenatal care. Case management includes a delivery plan and on-going health education for pregnant women.
Currently, with the exception of maternity and newborn care, VG providers are not providing the hospital care directly, but coordinating this with other community providers. A case manager ensures that the hospital provider receives the appropriate patient information when a patient is admitted. The case manager also coordinates the discharge of the patient with the attending physician. The two primary hospitals that VG works with are Tuality Community Hospital and Willamette Valley Medical Center.
The perinatal program continues to grow in both Washington and Yamhill Counties due to higher birth rates among the Hispanic population and changes in how perinatal care is provided by other practitioners in the community. For prenatal care and delivery of high-risk patients, there is collaboration with perinatologists from Kaiser Health System and physicians from Women’s Health Care Associates These patients are delivered at Providence St. Vincent’s Hospital where there is a neonatal intensive care unit.
Located in Hillsboro across from the Tuality Community Hospital, it has a staff of 6 physicians, 3 RN’s and 4 medical assistants. Tuality Healthcare provides clinic space and delivery privileges for physicians at VGMHC’s Hillsboro and Cornelius sites, and has assigned a full-time lab technician to the Center.
Located in McMinnville, the clinic provides Family Planning and Prenatal Services.
Deliveries are at the Willamette Valley Medical Center. The Clinic’s Physicians have privileges at the hospital and share call coverage with other OB physicians in the community.
Another important dimension to the maternity services is the postpartum home visits that are provided by a registered nurse to all patients who deliver with Virginia Garcia. These visits offer valuable support and education in breast- feeding, nutrition, risk factor assessments, information and referral.
