Shasta Community Maternity Center

A Warm Hug of Services

The healthcare team at Shasta Community Maternity Center wants every woman to feel as though she’s wrapped in a warm hug of quality services each time she visits, from her first pregnancy test to delivery of her precious baby. It’s important to start consistent, compassionate prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy and vital support for a healthy pregnancy is available at the Redding, CA center for all women from Shasta, Trinity, and Tehama Counties.

“We consider Shasta Community Maternity Center the heartbeat of the community for pregnant women,” says Karen Gryszan, the associate director of Clinical Operations. “It’s our mission to serve the underserved, and we give all women access to services that help them have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.” Although most patients are low-income and covered by Medi-Cal, services are available to women of all income levels. No insurance? That can be taken care of with a medical outreach and enrollment professional who is on hand to help women complete paperwork for Medi-Cal and “Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Women,” a Medi-Cal program that gives pregnant women immediate, temporary coverage.

Leaders from Shasta Community Health Center and Dignity Health reached an agreement in January 2019 that led to the Mercy Maternity Clinic transitioning from Dignity Health to Shasta Community Maternity Center. The committed crew gave the space a welcoming feel with an attractive paint-and-polish, updating exam rooms with comfortable, padded exam tables and installing rolling barn doors. Most importantly, arrangements were made for an array of prenatal services to be housed under one roof, making access to care significantly easier for patients throughout their pregnancy.

Maternity care provided by Shasta Community Maternity Center includes:

• An obstetrician for patient care and clinician consultations
• Telemedicine with a UC Davis Medical Center perinatologist for high-risk pregnancy assessment and care
• Medical care by nurse practitioners throughout pregnancy and after delivery
• Breastfeeding support with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, who is a registered nurse
• A case manager to provide a connection to resources, support, and referrals to community programs
• Registered dieticians providing dietary guidance
• Sweet Success Program for diabetes education (Gestational, Type 1 and Type 2), maintaining a proper diet, and monitoring blood sugars
• On-site lab work including blood draws provided by Quest Diagnostics
• On-site ultrasound provided by MD Imaging
• On-site behavioral health consultant supporting emotional needs, self-care, and coping strategies during pregnancy
• Medically Assisted Treatment
• Prenatal and childbirth education
• Help to sign up for specific pregnancy insurance programs
• On-site “Parent Partner” provided by the Children’s Hope Alliance
•  Connection to pediatrician and primary care clinician after delivery

One of the first people new patients meet is case manager Celia Snell. “I’m excited to welcome new patients and introduce them to the services they’ll be receiving and the staff that will be taking care of them,” says Celia. “I love being able to help women get the kind of care that supports a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and sometimes that means arranging transportation to appointments from as far away as Hayfork and Burney. I connect patients with WIC for nutritional support and if they come in with substance abuse or mental health issues, I can refer them to our in-house integrated substance abuse program which offers medically assisted treatment and to our in-house primary care neuropsychiatry if needed. And if they need food, clothing or diapers, I connect them to local programs that can help.”

New to the center is a “Parent Partner,” another friendly helper who can facilitate patient paperwork for services and may provide rides to appointments. The “Parent Partner” may also provide women in-home supportive visits during their pregnancy and up to six months after their baby is born, if needed.

During her pregnancy, each patient receives special gifts from the center to help her prepare for her new life with her baby. At the 28-week pregnancy check-up, each pregnant woman receives a handy shopping tote filled with parent education tools thanks to the center’s partnership with First 5 Shasta. The free “Kit for New Parents” contains information about paid family leave, poison control, a Parent Guide booklet, how to access WIC’s mobile website and the book What to Do When Your Child Gets Sick. When women reach the third trimester of pregnancy, they receive a handmade blanket lovingly made by a volunteer “blanketeer” from the local chapter of Project Linus.

From the first warm greeting and introduction to services, a woman can count on the gift of a dedicated healthcare team supporting her maternity needs at Shasta Community Maternity Center. But the best gift is always saved for last, and that is the much-anticipated delivery of her adored newborn securely wrapped in a cozy, homemade blanket.