Texas Children’s Health Plan’s Center for Children and Women has earned site approval for its CenteringPregnancy® program. The Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) has awarded both the Southwest and Greenspoint locations the official designation for closely following the CenteringPregnancy® model.
Centering is a model of group prenatal care, which incorporates three major components: assessment, education and support. It promotes greater patient engagement, personal empowerment, and community building. There are 13 elements of Centering, including health assessments, self-care, and group participation. Research has shown that Centering participants have improved health outcomes and increased patient and provider satisfaction.
In order to be awarded site approval, Texas Children’s Health Plan’s Center for Children and Women was required by CHI to comply with the model’s 13 elements, show that the program is sustainable, and to prove that data is being collected and used to support decision-making regarding the program and enhance clinical quality outcomes.
The Center for Children and Women offers CenteringPregnancy® information to women at their first prenatal visit. Groups are chosen by due dates and similar demographics. Participation is optional and consists of 10 2-hour visits. In general, the typical prenatal schedule is followed. The first part of the visit is a typical pregnancy health check, the latter part involves education and group participation. Certified nurse midwives and medical assistants serve as co-facilitators. The goal is to enhance health outcomes for pregnant women who choose this model of prenatal care.
“This recognition is well-deserved by The Center for Women and Children’s entire OB team,” said Dr. Lisa Hollier, the Ob/Gyn medical director. The program is facilitated by CenteringPregnancy® Program Coordinator Adrienne Finley, with mentorship from Mary Traub, CNM, director of the Midwifery Program at Baylor College of Medicine.
Finley believes that pregnant participants benefit from the relationships they build with their peers in the CenteringPregnancy® program. “Peer support helps them build confidence in themselves. It helps them realize that they can carry a life, deliver a life, and then take care of their baby,” she says.
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