Pregnancy centers across the U.S. and the world have maintained their support for women facing unplanned pregnancy during the coronavirus outbreak, exploring and implementing alternative approaches to meeting the needs of women and their families while observing health and safety guidelines for all.
Recently some staff members from True Care Women’s Resource Center in Casper, Wyoming joined other pregnancy help ministry leaders in participating in a webinar presented by the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) regarding guidelines for serving pregnant women at risk for abortion during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
NIFLA, similarly to Heartbeat International, has continued in its mission of supporting pregnancy help organizations during the pandemic, assisting the centers with their continued support of clients in need.
As the outbreak continues to unfold, less populated areas like the state of Wyoming are not exempt, and pregnancy centers are finding innovative ways to serve clients. True Care recently began implementing four such ideas.
Our nurses are using telephone and video for initial consultations
In order to minimize the number of times a pregnant mom comes into the center; our nurses are using telephone and video consultations for the first part of the appointment. Our nurse manager investigated Doxy.me as a possible platform to virtually interact with clients; the platform then approved by our president, board and medical director.
After our schedulers create an initial appointment, True Care’s nurses conduct a health history with the potential client via video or telephone. From that interaction, the nurse determines when the mother is far enough along for an ultrasound and then schedules an in-person appointment for her for a pregnancy test and ultrasound. Many of the women we see at the center are roughly four or five weeks along in their pregnancy – too early to detect a heartbeat on the ultrasound. Bringing the mother into the center at a time determined to most likely confirm a heartbeat alleviates having her entering the center two, perhaps three, different times, thereby decreasing the risk of potential COVID-19 exposure to her and to our staff.
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True Care’s resource coordinator assists clients via telephone
We are providing diapers, wipes, baby clothes and beautiful blankets to our clients
Because of the generosity of our wonderful donors and supporters, True Care can provide the women in its resource and parenting programs, and those who have been part of the programs in the recent past, with material assistance.
We have collected diapers, wipes, new baby clothes and handcrafted blankets for distribution. Our program director and resource coordinator contact their current and former clients, letting the women know these items are available; a pick-up time is scheduled, and True Care’s receptionist sets the bag outside the office’s glass doors for the client.
True Care is also providing grocery store gift cards for clients and their children
The economy worldwide has been hit hard by the pandemic, another way too that the community of Casper, Wyoming, is not immune. Many people are out of work, including the bulk of True Care’s clients, most of whom work in service industries.
To ensure these women have food in their fridges and cupboards, we recently began collecting funds for grocery store gift cards and accepting donations of the cards themselves. Our donors have been quite generous, contributing more than $1,400 during the first week of the Groceries for Patients fund drive. We’ve blessed 10 women with groceries so far, and we look forward to helping more of our clients in this manner.
Despite the coronavirus crisis, many good things continue to happen at True Care. Our center’s doors remain open to women at risk for abortion – with a streamlined staff conducting in-person contacts, wearing facial protection when meeting patients, and our nurses using gloves during in-person medical appointments.
By continuing to provide vital medical services, along with educational options, resources and material assistance in unique ways, we continue to impact lives in positive ways, even as the virus persists.
God’s Word says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). True Care and our supporters plan to continue doing just that!
LifeNews Note: Gayle Irwin writes for PregnancyHelpNews, where this originally appeared.
