Moms-to-be without insurance get help

NORTHEAST PHOENIX - A program at Paradise Valley Hospital may patch a gap in health care for pregnant women in the city's Palomino neighborhood.



A Family Assistance Center, due to open Tuesday at the hospital, 40th Street and Bell Road in Phoenix, will provide free pregnancy testing, financial counseling and discounted prenatal treatment for uninsured women.



The center aims to care for women early in their pregnancies and to enroll qualified women in state and federal programs to cover their medical costs.



Paradise Valley Hospital is in an affluent area next to "the square," the name public safety officials use to describe the low-income Palomino neighborhood, an area near 32nd Street and Greenway Road.



Residents of the predominantly Hispanic community rely on the hospital but often wait for emergencies for care because they assume they can't afford checkups and other preventive treatment, such as prenatal care.



"We know there's a need," said Paradise Valley Hospital's chief executive, John Harrington.



Many of the mothers qualify for coverage under the state's Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, he said, but they don't know they qualify.



Statistics show prenatal care results in fewer complications at birth. The question is how to enroll the women in the medical plan earlier in the pregnancy, when they need care.



The hospital's solution is to provide free pregnancy testing to all women.



For women who test positive, the Family Assistance Center immediately will help set up public-health coverage and prenatal care.



The program will be staffed by a representative from AHCCCS five days a week and one from the Arizona Department of Economic Security two days. Qualified individuals can enroll in AHCCCS or special programs such as Baby AZ, a state program for pregnant women, and Kids Care, health insurance for children.



Non-citizens can sign up for the Federal Emergency Services Program, which covers birthing costs with no prenatal care, but help is available. The hospital plans to provide their initial lab work, with fees based on ability to pay.