313729
Gulf Coast RegIon Where Women Gather: Providing Care Through a Mom and Baby Mobile Health Center
To help with the provision of needed prenatal services in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, March of Dimes purchased four Mom & Baby Mobile Health Centers for use in Louisiana and Mississippi.
March of Dimes partners with local healthcare providers already embedded in the community where each partner provider has adopted a unique model for providing care that is tailored to the needs of the community. The vehicles are fully equipped to provide medical services and referrals to women and their families. The vehicles can provide prenatal and interconception care, ultrasounds, lab work and more in private exam rooms. The program serves several sites per week often utilizing locations where women already gather or visit such as stores, small clinics and churches.
With over 15 years of experience in mobile health, the March of Dimes involves the community at every level of planning, implementation and monitoring of its programs so that they work in unison with existing services and address changing needs within the community.
In this presentation, we will examine and discuss the advantages of utilizing mobile health clinics to provide care specifically for those in areas at risk for poor birth outcomes. Methods for establishing successful mobile health programs, with a focus on design and implementation, will be presented along with challenges and lessons learned.
Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadershipProgram planning
Provision of health care to the public
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related education
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Describe one model used for implementation of a mobile health clinic program
Discuss key components necessary for a successful mobile health program
Discuss rationale for utilizing mobile health clinics to engage women in high risk areas
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have held the position of Director of Mobile Health Care for March of Dimes for the last eight years and have researched, designed, analyzed and managed operation of four mobile health center programs in that time. For the last seven years I have served on the National Mobile Health Clinics Association Advisory Council and now serve on the Board of Directors providing support and guidance to the mobile health clinic sector throughout the US.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.