A free health clinic for pregnant women who “fall in the cracks of having no health insurance” will be open soon in Spring.
Pregnancy Assistance Center North hosted a panel of community leaders to discuss the need of no-cost, well-woman services in Montgomery County.
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“Sexual activity in girls is beginning earlier and earlier,” PACN Nurse Practitioner Claudia Riedlinger said.
Those on the panel included Riedlinger, PACN Executive Director Cindy Sunday Powell, Lonestar Family Heath Center Director of Business Development Marilyn Kasmiersky and Robert Squire, LPC, Crossroads Christian Counseling Center.
Members attending the panel lunch were taken on a tour of the Spring/The Woodlands center and given a preview of the expanded medical wing set to open this fall. It is under construction.
The new wing will include a waiting area, nurse and doctor’s offices, examination rooms and staff offices.
PACN’s well-woman clinic will be open two days each week and initially will see 10 patients per week. Beginning in January, the number of patients will increase to 15-20 a week, according to PACN staff.
Eighty-six percent of the clients PACN serves come from low-income households making under $30,000 annually, according to Powell.
“These clients make too much money to qualify for government assistance, yet not enough to pay for insurance on their own,” Powell said. “Without insurance, a typical well-woman exam costs $150 out of pocket.”
“Not only will PACN’s services continue to be no-cost, but each client will be able to sit down with a nurse practitioner and discuss valid health concerns she may have, while receiving medically accurate, educational materials to aid her in making healthy lifestyle choices,” Riedlinger said. “It’s so much more than just a medical checkup.”
Panelists discussed how critical preventive reproductive health care can play a large role in addressing the spread of STDs.
“Early detection is the best detection,” Kasmiersky said.
In addition to a Pap smear and breast exam, PACN clients can be tested for HPV, HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, according to Riedlinger.
“Many women do not immediately recognize or even present symptoms associated with these STDs,” Riedlinger said. “Regular well-woman exams and Pap smears with HPV testing are a critical step in addressing cervical cancer, reducing the spread of STDs and other serious health conditions.”
“Many of our clients have expressed that they would like to receive additional services from PACN,” Powell said. “We believe this is because of the type of care and respect that is given.”
Many women who are pregnant, not only have physical issues, but emotional issues that need to be addressed, said Squire, who explained about the importance of making healthy life choices.
PACN has served the under-resourced of Montgomery and north Harris counties for more than 20 years and will continue to serve clients with excellence and the highest level of dignity and respect.”
Texas records the highest uninsured rate in the country, according to PACN staff.
• Twenty-six percent of women ages 18-64 lack health insurance.
•Houston-area statistics are slightly higher, with 30 percent of the population lacking health insurance.
PACN is a nonprofit, faith-based pregnancy medical clinic that empowers and educates regarding pregnancy and sexual health issues. PACN offers free and confidential services, including ultrasounds, pregnancy and STD/HIV testing, educational classes and programs, and support groups.
PACN also operates “It’s All Good,” a thrift store in Conroe. To learn more, visit www.pacn.org.
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