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Pregnant women in rural areas could have increased access to care thanks to funding from a local health care organization.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico is giving $2 million to 10 community organizations focused on pregnancy care in New Mexico, BCBSNM announced last week.
The money is coming from Blue Cross and Blue Shield, but people don't have to have the company's insurance.
“We want to make sure that we take care of our moms and babies," said Janice Torrez, the president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico.
At a BCBSNM meeting last Tuesday, Torrez said the funding would be expanding the organization's Special Beginnings program.
The program offers education, women, infant and children program benefits and prenatal and postnatal care through outsourced providers.
“It’s really open to community,” said Torrez.
The funding will extend the reach of maternal care to more rural areas as well as fund research into the problems facing pregnant women in New Mexico, according to Torrez.
The program is giving money to Lovelace Health System and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
“We know access to care is critical in New Mexico,” said Torrez.
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Kelly Wascher is on Lovelace's community relations and outreach team. She promotes a program at the health system called G.R.A.C.E, giving respect and compassion to expecting. G.R.A.C.E offers expecting mothers who are struggling with addiction a place to seek care.
The program is getting $400,000 in funding from BCBSNM.
“If women are pregnant, and they’re using fentanyl, we can help stabilize them,” said Wascher.
Then the program directs expecting women to resources such as housing, behavioral health and case management.
G.R.A.C.E is available to anyone who is pregnant and struggling with addiction; they only need to go to a Lovelace hospital.
Trevor Quiner is an obstetrician gynecologist at the University of New Mexico Hospital working on UNMH’s Project ECHO program.
The program aims to share knowledge about prenatal health and best care practices for pregnant women.
“Currently we are talking about diabetes and pregnancy,” said Quiner.
The program collects data so experts can understand the problems women giving birth run into and then come up with solutions.
“We use what we know and we know what works to decrease morbidity and mortality,” said Quiner.
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to accurately reflect Special Beginnings program qualifications.
