Pandemic demand for services leads to growth
Maternal Wellness Center expands, relocates to Hatboro
HATBORO >> When the coronavirus pandemic struck in March 2020, it immediately impacted every aspect of daily life. For Maternal Wellness Center — a Hatboro practice that provides mental health support for women, families and dads — there was an immediate uptick in requests for therapy.
That increase in demand for services has led to an expansion that included the addition of clinicians, additional services and a purchase and move to a building more than twice the size of its previous location.
In September Maternal Wellness Center moved from its
Abington location to 67 Byberry Road in Hatboro, a 2,899-squarefoot Victorian-era building that owner Kellie Wicklund said was move-in ready.
As COVID-19 spread, stressors started very quickly for families, according to Wicklund, who launched the practice 15 years ago.
“They were going to appointments fully masked and were frightened. Providers began to reduce the volume of appointments at their offices to reduce the chance of exposure. People were getting less service than they were used to,” she said.
When daycare and schools began shutting down, women were left in a bind.
“Working full-time became untenable for many overnight. The families with the youngest children were feeling it the most. There were families where grandparents had helped with child care and who now couldn’t,” she added.
Maternal Wellness Center supports women and families through all stages of parenthood, augmenting traditional perinatal
health care with support services including counseling and psychotherapy for peripartum mood and anxiety disorders, childbirth education, support groups, therapeutic massage and more.
In the fall, she said there was another spike in demand, when some daycare centers closed again, and many schools remained closed — using virtual learning.
“Six months into the pandemic, parents were feeling overwhelmed, and it wasn’t letting up,” Wicklund said.
When the state began shutting down businesses in mid-March, Maternal Wellness Center transitioned into a virtual provider — literally overnight.
“Our health records system had a virtual platform built in. We
used it the next day — we made a very quick pivot.”
Throughout the pandemic, the practice saw patients in the office, masked and following CDC guidelines. Wicklund said about 5% of clients were coming in.
Since her staff has been fully vaccinated, Wicklund said the number of patients coming in has jumped over the past month to about 15% to 20% of clients.
Wicklund knew before the pandemic that she was outgrowing her 1,000-square-foot office across the street from Abington Hospital and had started to look for a new location. The business had seen 114% growth from 2018 to 2020 — growth she said was accelerated by the pandemic.