In Illinois, 34.3% of counties are considered maternity healthcare deserts, according to the March of Dimes, with those living in some counties needing to travel between 47 and 59 miles to a birthing hospital. The program expansion connects patients to an in-person care team based on the patient’s location and ability to access in-person care. If in-person care remains a challenge, the mobile clinic will offer scheduled prenatal and postpartum care where and when it’s convenient for patients who are within the program’s geographic area. The mobile clinic will provide all recommended prenatal and postpartum services such as sonograms, lab work and vaccinations, along with blood pressure monitoring and reporting.

“These mobile units represent a meaningful step toward bringing pregnancy and postpartum care directly to communities that need it most.” said Cristal Gary, Meridian plan president and CEO. “By working with OSF HealthCare, we hope to help ensure that more mothers and babies have the opportunity to thrive.”

The OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and postpartum program is available to women who have Medicaid and are pregnant or are in the first month of the postpartum period, with the mobile clinic serving identified counties in Central Illinois including Bureau, Henry, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall, Stark, Tazewell, Livingston, Peoria, Putnam, Woodford and Warren counties. 

“Faced with numerous operational challenges, many rural hospitals in Illinois have shut down their labor and delivery units, leading to maternity care deserts,” says Jennifer Junis, President of OSF OnCall. “Pregnant women on Medicaid in rural areas are statistically more likely to die of a pregnancy-related complication than their suburban counterparts."

We focused on areas with the greatest need, and our goal is for the OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and postpartum mobile clinic to extend care to women who need it most, supporting healthier pregnancies, full-term births and strong starts for both moms and babies.”

The mobile unit will begin offering first appointments the week of July 28.

Eligible patients can self-enroll in the OSF OnCall Connect pregnancy and post-partum program or be referred by their provider or health plan. From there, the OSF OnCall Connect team will assist with program enrollment, connection to an in-person care team and scheduling appointments for the mobile clinic as appropriate.

Services include:

•    Education and information for each week of pregnancy
•  Regular check-ins by chat
•  24/7 virtual access to a care team specially trained to support pregnant women and their babies
•  Blood pressure monitoring and reporting
•  Lab work
•  Screening for postpartum depression
•  Support to close drivers of health gaps
•  Breastfeeding support

 For more information, visit osfoncall.org/pregnancy for OSF OnCall pregnancy and postpartum services or ILmeridian.com to learn more about Meridian’s benefits and services.

Cristal Gary of Meridian, Brandi Clark and Kate Johnson of OSF OnCall

B-roll of Blessing and OSF OnCall pregnancy and postpartum care mobile unit