Last week, the “Center for Accountability” launched a multi-page attack against a pregnancy center located in eastern Pennsylvania. This letter, reported on by NBC, shared many inaccuracies regarding the work of pregnancy medical and resource centers in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collaborative is a collaborative of pregnancy medical and resource centers in Pennsylvania, and we would like to set the record straight about how these organizations work and the vital services they provide to Pennsylvanians.
The Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collaborative represents both pregnancy medical clinics and pregnancy resource centers. While these organizations provide similar services, there is an important distinction. Pregnancy medical centers provide maternal healthcare, practical support for families, and operate under the direction and supervision of a licensed physician with credentialed medical staff. Pregnancy resource centers provide critical support services in their communities such as parenting education and material help.
In the letter from the Campaign for Accountability (CfA) they specifically reference the pregnancy medical clinic Options Women’s Center (OWC). OWC is a pregnancy medical center operating under the direction and supervision of a licensed physician with credentialed medical staff. In some of their footnotes, CfA appears to confuse OWC with another pregnancy medical center, Care Net of Carbon County (see footnotes 1 and 12). This is a separate pregnancy medical center operating in another town. Care Net of Carbon County also operates under under the direction and supervision of a licensed physician with credentialed medical staff, but it is an entirely separate organization.
Each PPWC member pregnancy medical center, including the two mentioned above, and resource center complies with state and federal privacy laws, and holds their client and patient information in strict and absolute confidence.
Pregnancy centers may technically not be considered “covered entities” under HIPAA as their services are provided completely free of charge, but each PPWC member organization abides by state and federal medical record privacy laws as it is standard of care in the medical industry and assures confidentiality for our patients. Both pregnancy medical and resource centers rarely charge for any of their services, this is done to ensure that anyone in need can access quality care without the barrier of cost. Even though typically not covered by HIPAA, pregnancy medical and resource centers believe that their patients have the right to the highest level of confidentiality regarding their information. To provide that level of confidentiality, many PPWC members choose to use HIPAA as the standard when evaluating their privacy policies.
When a woman chooses to access health care, and perhaps especially when the care relates to pregnancy, it is vital that she can trust her provider and know that she is getting excellent service. For pregnancy medical centers to provide that service, it is imperative that they engage in a thorough intake process. This process ensures that each patient receives appropriate and quality medical care. The details of each individual’s care and other information are only released with the patient’s written authorization unless otherwise required by law.
While there has lately been a push to de-medicalize abortion services, pregnancy centers instead work to provide excellent medical care to women in early pregnancy. As concerns about maternal mortality and morbidity mount, it is vital that women are provided with medical services with medical providers capturing thorough medical histories. These histories assist the provider in providing the best possible care to each individual.
In addition to medical staff, pregnancy medical and resource centers employ non-medical personnel. These personnel are trained to provide information, education, resources, and referrals to those most in need. By pairing medical and non-medical staff, pregnancy medical centers ensure that each patient receives caring and comprehensive service.
PPWC member organizations advertise and communicate with their communities in a manner that is truthful and honest and accurately describes the services they offer. Pregnancy medical and resource centers provide vital services nationwide and are crucial to the health and wellness of many families in Pennsylvania.
Organizations like the Center for Accountability would do well to visit a pregnancy center and learn about what they do. Abigail Brooks, the author of the NBC article, reached out to the PPWC the afternoon before the article was published, but only asked whether OWC was affiliated with the PPWC as a medical clinic. Even though we offered to answer more questions about pregnancy medical and resource centers, she instead chose to simply publish her article.
Pregnancy medical and resource centers across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania are happy to host any community member for a tour and answer questions regarding how they operate and who they serve. If you would like to learn more about these unique and vital organizations, please contact us! Pregnancy centers are good for Pennsylvania, and good for America.