OhioHealth CenteringPregnancy Continues To Care for Expectant Mothers in New Space at OhioHealth Grant Family Medicine
In 2014, CenteringPregnancy was brought to life through a powerful collaboration between OhioHealth Grant Outpatient Care and the Ann Burba Crane Center for Women and Babies at OhioHealth Grant Medical Center. Born out of urgency and compassion, the program was created to confront the heartbreaking reality of infant mortality in our community and across Franklin County.
OhioHealth Grant Family Medicine, hosted its first CenteringPregnancy group in 2017 and has been walking alongside families ever since. Now, in a renewed commitment to this work, CenteringPregnancy at Grant Family Medicine moved into a beautiful new space at 332 E. State Street, part of the Grant 2028 Impact: Access to Care for All" Project.
“This move isn’t just about a new address, it’s about deepening our roots, strengthening our relationships, and building a healthier future together,” said Lauren Hackett, Program Manager of CenteringPregnancy at Grant Family Medicine.
CenteringPregnancy is an evidence-based model of prenatal care that brings pregnant women who are due around the same time together for their prenatal care. Instead of traditional one-on-one doctor's visits, pregnant women meet in a group setting with their healthcare provider and other expecting moms. Each session includes a healthcare checkup, interactive learning, and group discussion.
“It's a really empowering and supportive way to go through pregnancy,” Hackett said. “You also get up to 10 times with your provider, build connections with other women going through the same thing as you, and learn about what to expect during pregnancy and beyond.”
Centering is longer in duration than a traditional prenatal appointment, typically lasting between 90 minutes to two hours. Each visit includes check-ins from various team members that are working together to screen for any social drivers such as food insecurity, prenatal resources, and any other resources that are available in the community. These regular check-ins ensure that all patient needs are met, providing holistic care.
“We also offer incentives for attending group sessions and even host a baby shower for the expectant parents during the patient's pregnancy,” said Hackett.
Hackett shared that in Centering, education goes beyond the basics. During groups, expectant moms can expect to dive deep into topics such as labor and delivery prep, breastfeeding, taking care of a newborn, mental health, contraception and family planning, talking about resources that are available in our community, and much more.
“I would say that some of the biggest topics we are hearing right now from mothers, that mothers seem to be worried about, are difficulty obtaining prenatal resources, food insecurity, and lack of social support,” said Hackett.
Each Centering group consists of six to eight expectant mothers with similar due dates. These groups meet once or twice a month, following the nationally recognized prenatal care schedule. A unique aspect of Centering is that during each visit, mothers receive prenatal education and social support in a group setting with their peers, along with one-on-one physical checkups from their provider.
According to collected data, patients who participate in CenteringPregnancy have higher rates of reaching full-term pregnancy versus the state and national average.
“Grant Family Medicine’s CenteringPregnancy preterm delivery rate is 6.8%, Columbus and Franklin County have the same preterm rates of 13.8% (the highest preterm rate found in black babies), and Ohio is 10.7% (that number being highest for black mothers and babies,” said Hackett.
In addition to higher full-term pregnancy rates, Centering patients have higher breastfeeding rates at hospital discharge compared to traditional prenatal care. Mothers who deliver through CenteringPregnancy, 67% of them, bring their newborns to follow-up pediatric care at Grant Family Medicine.
If you are interested in receiving CenteringPregnancy for your prenatal care, please contact OhioHealth Grant Family Medicine at 614-788-5400.
In June, Spectrum News visited Grant Family Medicine to learn more about CenteringPregnancy and speak with a mother who has experienced being part of the Centering family.
