Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies
Organization: Codman Square Health Center
Location: Dorchester, MA
This summer, I am working as an intern in the women's health unit at Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, MA. Drawn to the position based on my interest in community health, midwifery, and the significance of individual choice in healthcare, I began working as an intern in early June. So far, I have been working on the Centering Pregnancy program. Created by Sharon Schindler Rising, CNM, MSN, in 1993, Centering Pregnancy is a model of group prenatal care offered at health centers and hospitals nationwide. Instead of attending individual visits with a health care provider, women enrolled in Centering Pregnancy receive their prenatal care in groups of eight to ten women, all of whom have similar gestational due dates. During group visits, the women perform their own health assessments and are able to share their concerns with other women and a midwife. The group visits are facilitated as a discussion; one women brings up a concern, and other women as well as the midwife offer their thoughts and suggestions. Topics discussed include nutrition, bodily changes, healthy relationships, childbirth/labor preparation, and more. My job has been encouraging more women to participate in Centering groups, through the creation of a photo album, flyers, and a brochure. I am also working on outcome research for Centering Pregnancy, through establishing systems of data collection that will allow Codman to track health outcomes of Centering participants. I have also been able to shadow both a nurse practitioner and nurse midwife during their individual and group visits, and have worked on creating a centralized calendar/web page for the Centering program. So far, this experience has given me significant insight into the workings of a communtiy health center and exposure to an incredible, empowering model of prenatal care.
