Mobile clinic aims to cut infant, maternal deaths
A mobile health care clinic that will serve people during their pregnancy and after the birth of their children launched in metro Phoenix on March 6.
The Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center is the second clinic of its kind to serve Arizona newborns and their families.
The clinic aims to address what community health care providers considered a lack of resources for mothers and babies, citing Arizona’s rise in infant and maternal deaths.
“Too many mothers lack access to their needed prenatal pregnancy and postnatal care. We see this across Arizona, especially in rural and minority communities,” said Jennie Cunico, Arizona Department of Health Services director.
Cunico said Arizona ranked 26th in the U.S. for infant mortality, representing an 11% increase, the state’s largest in a decade. A March of Dimes 2022 report card gave Phoenix a C-, indicating that moms and babies were at heightened risk in the city.
Shadi Tofigh, director of maternal and infant health for March of Dimes, said the organization’s regular data indicated a need to reach mothers in the state.
“Maternal mortality and infant mortality is on the rise in Arizona, and unfortunately those statistics are higher than the national average,” Tofigh said. “We’ve also identified that our moms in Arizona are not accessing timely prenatal health care.”
Tofigh added that poor access to health care throughout a pregnancy can cause complications that lead to a higher risk of mortality for a young family.
Encased in a new vehicle wrap to identify the rolling clinic, the mobile clinic’s interior facilities offer equipment to diagnose, examine and treat patients.
Drs. Wendy Redford and Mandy Boltz from Wesley Community and
Health Centers said patients will receive the same level of care a mother and child could expect at a brick-andmortar clinic.
Boltz, director of prenatal health at Wesley, said the mobile clinic offers essential access for women early in their pregnancy.
“We really hope to see earlier contact and bring them into healthy pregnancies,” said Boltz.
One example Boltz provided was treatment of gestational diabetes, which is quite common. She added that under-served populations have higher rates of gestational diabetes and testing is available.
“If it’s detected early, then mothers can take steps to help control it,” Boltz said.
Redford said the mobile clinic also provides a variety of services including fetal monitoring for higher-risk patients. The clinic also has the benefit of promptly delivering the services directly to a patient.
“As far as clinical training, we’re really bringing extensive training,” Redford added.
The mobile clinic is staffed by both Wesley Community and Health Centers and future medical professionals provided through a partnership with Arizona State University Edson College of Nursing and Innovation.