A Wake County program is working to reduce maternal health disparities among Raleigh moms.
Advanced Community Health on Rock Quarry Road launched its Centering Pregnancy Program six months ago. It's the first in Wake County.
The programs work to empower women to take charge of their health during and after pregnancy by combining clinical care and peer support.
Brenda Gartrell has worked as a nurse practitioner with Advanced Community Health since January 2024. She shared that many of the patients they serve are minorities.
"As a person of color we have increased risk for a lot of things, whether that be post-partum hemorrhages, increased mortality, increased fetal deaths, pre-term labor, so that's something when building this program we definitely took into account: How are we going to be educating our patients, and how can we make them feel like they're change agents?" Gartrell said.
Gartrell co-leads the program sessions with the location's Centering Pregnancy Coordinator Sarah Hornung.
Hornung shared the goal is to educate mothers while creating an environment that promotes community.
"Session one, we bring everyone in and we'll introduce them to a workbook," Hornung said. "The workbook allows them to take their own vitals so they really are in charge of their health care."
The program teaches women how to take their own blood pressure, pulse, oxygen level and weight.
Gartrell explained understanding a woman's vital signs can help women recognize signs that something is wrong sooner, reducing the risk of pregnancy complications.
"Having that time to build a rapport with our patients, because most of us follow our centering groups from the beginning to the end, it's an advantage to them," Gartrell said. "It helps to decrease these morbidity and mortality because they are a lot more aware of 'Hey, my blood pressure looks a little high today, I should talk about that.'"
Groups are comprised of about eight-12 women on average. Gartrell is bilingual, allowing the program to be open to both English and Spanish-speaking parents.
Patients without insurance are also welcome.
The sessions also allow women to talk with others going through similar pregnancy and post-birth experiences, including staff themselves.
"They're able to kind of glean some information as to what to expect, versus what other people have been through and what to look out for in the future," Gartrell said.
One first-time expecting mother told WRAL News the sessions are "a breath of fresh air" that allow her to open up.
"The first time I came, I felt like I was alone at first," she said. "I was very sad at first, like really sad, but then I got around other people and felt like I could open up and say different things."
She also said hearing other from mothers who have already given birth, including those who work at Advanced Community Health, helped her overcome some of her symptoms like nausea.
"Especially to a certain extent of when they had to breast pump I was like, 'Okay, I can do this. I can manage my time to be able to do this and still have a career and do other things," she said.
Another expecting mother got emotional when expressing what the program has meant to her.
"I would definitely recommend women to do something like this or to come to this certain office and be in this program because it's definitely been helpful," the woman shared. "Whenever I see my next appointment is coming up I'll be like, 'Okay good.' I know I can come be here and just relax, let off some steam and just talk, especially to the other females."
When asked how it felt to hear the women express their gratitude, Hornung replied, "It is just so confirming that everything we're doing has a purpose and it's working."
Gartrell shared that the program also works to provide wholistic support for mothers by reducing transportation barriers for other kinds of appointments.
"We integrate with a multidisciplinary team," the nurse practitioner explained. "We have a pediatric department, a dental department, and we also have an adult health department."
Patients can schedule appointments across several departments for themselves and their family members to help them stay on top of their health.
"All of those things combined have been amazing. I feel like it only helps us support why this model is so helpful," Gartrell said. "In a traditional appointment, you may get a referral out somewhere and it may take time, versus we're bringing all the resources to you. We're a one-stop shop, we have everything here."
Expecting mothers wanting to participate in the program are asked to call the program coordinator at 984-304-9603. Emails can also be sent to sahornung@advancechc.org.
Mothers in Durham and Chapel Hill can also inquire about Pregnancy Centering Programs through the Duke Health Family Medicine Center and UNC Health Women's Hospital.