The Fort Drum MEDDAC OB/GYN Clinic is now a CenteringPregnancy certified site.
The clinic, which underwent a site visit in October as part of the process, is one of only six certified sites within Army Medicine and the only Army Medical Department Activity-certified site.
"I am super excited about this accomplishment," said Lt. Col. Brittany Speers, Fort Drum OB/GYN certified nurse-midwife and CenteringPregnancy chairperson. "Being the first MEDDAC in the Army (to receive certification) is huge."
CenteringPregnancy offers traditional prenatal care, which includes routine health checkups as well as additional time in a group setting.
During this time, women meet with their provider and about eight to 10 other women whose babies are due around the same time. Groups meet 10 times during pregnancy and cover a different topic during each session.
Group meetings cover topics such as nutrition, common pregnancy discomforts, birth control options, breast feeding, a tour of labor and delivery, newborn care and post-partum depression.
The Fort Drum MEDDAC has been offering CenteringPregnancy for the last five years, according to Speers. The staff began the process of becoming certified nearly three years ago.
To gain certification, the program needed to show sustainability, Speers said.
"Certification requires funds, statistics gathered over a 12-month period, patient satisfaction surveys for a 12-month period and outcomes," she explained. "This process involved a lot of people and a lot of command support."
The final part of the certification process entailed a site visit from a midwife with CenteringHealthcare Institute, the organization that sets the standards for CenteringPregnancy.
During the site visit, the midwife observed a Centering session; met with Speers, the OB/GYN Clinic leadership, nurses, midwives and clerks involved in Centering, and went over all of the paperwork.
"Site certification is a pretty big deal," Speers said. "CenteringPregnancy wants to know that the sites are doing it according to their expectations so that it will get the results Centering can, based on research."
The Fort Drum OB/GYN Clinic staff was praised for their use of Facebook to help promote and educate the post community on CenteringPregnancy; for including dads and support persons in the Centering sessions; and for their use of different media, such as games and videos, during sessions to get patients involved.
Additionally, they received some suggestions on how to improve the program, including simple things such as posting photos of the Centering staff so patients know who they are.
"We are the sixth site in the Army, but the first MEDDAC," Speers reiterated, "so there are medical centers and big hospitals that have Centering, but we are the first MEDDAC, which I think is huge. It shows that the smaller facilities can support a Centering program and that it is an important program for not just the big hospitals but the smaller ones as well."
The certification means patients can be assured they are getting the best care possible.
"We are being held to high standards," Speers said. "This also means we are conducting Centering like other places in the military. So if a patient has to go somewhere else after starting the program, there will be some continuity."
CenteringHealthcare Institute oversees the CenteringPregnancy program. The organization began as just CenteringPregnancy, but the group education process was so beneficial they expanded to include CenteringDiabetes, CenteringParenting and more.
"I am just very excited that we were able to start and complete this process for a program that is only going to continue to be beneficial to our patients," Speers said.
To learn more about CenteringPregnancy, contact the Fort Drum OB/GYN Clinic at (315) 785-4642.
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