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Although both Anna Rodriguez and her husband Luis worked long hours at their respective
jobs, they could not afford the extra expense of health insurance premiums. So when Anna
became pregnant with her third child, she had no insurance to cover the prenatal care
she needed.
Fortunately, she made the wise choice to visit the Little Company of Mary Women’s
Clinic in Harbor City. As part of a statewide initiative called the Comprehensive
Perinatal Services Program (CPSP), the Women’s Clinic provides a variety of crucial
services such as free pregnancy testing, prenatal risk assessments, childbirth classes
and post-delivery care to low income and uninsured pregnant women. There is even someone
on-site to help women and their children qualify for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families
insurance.
Anna regularly brought her two young children along on her visits to the clinic. In fact,
most of the mothers who visit the Women’s Clinic bring their preschool and school
age children with them. (Nearly 50 children each month accompany their mothers to the
clinic and stay with them during their actual exam.)
Frequently, these children are suffering from typical childhood diseases or are lacking
required immunizations and basic health care services. Unfortunately, obstetricians are
often not equipped to treat minor childhood illnesses, nor do they have a medical history
for the child.
Having identified this critical need for pediatric care among the population it serves,
Little Company of Mary – San Pedro Hospital set out to meet that need by establishing
a Pediatric Wellness Program. Thanks to a generous grant from the UniHealth Foundation
obtained by the Little Company of Mary Community Health Foundation, underinsured and
uninsured women will soon have access to both perinatal and children’s health care
services in the same location in Harbor City. Together, the combined services will be known
as the Maternal/Child Health Clinic.
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