Throughout your entire motherhood journey, whether you are pregnant, postpartum, or parenting, you deserve access to the medical care you and your child need. Unfortunately, accessing this care might be a challenge if you are low-income, uninsured, or living in ‘maternity deserts’ where hospitals and support networks are few and far in between. Here are some resources for finding quality medical help:
- Mobile Clinics often offer free or low-cost services to places where permanent health care facilities are scarce. Find a mobile clinic using this search: https://www.mobilehealthmap.org/clinics. You can use the filters on the search tool to specify state, population served (e.g. low income or uninsured), community type (rural, suburban, frontier, urban), and type of care delivered (e.g. maternal and infant health).
- Community Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers “provide person-centered… care to all patients, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. They serve maternal health patients across the continuum of care, including prenatal services, labor and delivery, and postpartum services” (https://advocatesforcommunityhealth.org/maternal-health-at-fqhcs-a-critical-safety-net-that-needs-congress-to-act-now/)
Link to find a center near you: https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/
- Retail health clinics are medical clinics similar to urgent care centers located inside big stores such as Walmart, Walgreens, or CVS. While most do not provide full OBGYN services, they can offer blood pressure checks, tests for gestational diabetes, vaccinations recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding support, and connect you to centers that provide a more comprehensive range of maternal health services. They are low-cost and do not require insurance.
- You might also want to check out The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Find a member clinic here: https://nafcclinics.org/find-clinic/
- Thanks to the Hill Burton Act of 1946, there are 126 hospitals and healthcare facilities obligated to provide free or reduced cost health care. See if there is a Hill Burton facility near you: https://www.hrsa.gov/get-health-care/affordable/hill-burton/facilities
- If you are in a low-income situation and think you might benefit from more involved health monitoring and social support, check out the National Nurse-Family Partnership Program. The program is entirely free to families in need. (https://changent.org/what-we-do/nurse-family-partnership/)
Link to sign up: https://changent.org/for-families/
- Here is a list by state of federally funded maternal health networks located in rural areas. To find an affiliated health center, do a google search of a network listed below in your state. Many of these health networks offer telehealth appointments as well as in-person care.
- Another resource to consider is online/virtual doctors or AI doctors. AI doctors can provide accurate and understandable medical information fast and for free; AI doctor websites can provide access to a video visit with a qualified human doctor for a low price. Click here to access Doctronic, ‘a private and personal’ AI doctor (not a sketchy robot, but a computer program that has access to tons of medical information imputed by real doctors.)
As you navigate your journey of new motherhood, don’t forget that there are resources for finding the medical help your family needs!
By Gabriella Danserau
