One such program, “Early Access to Prenatal Care” at the Brevard County Health Department has done a remarkable job at enrolling hundreds of women into early prenatal care.

The program, funded for a second year by the March of Dimes East Central Florida Division, uses the services of a registered nurse to start the Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Women (PEPW) process for Medicaid prenatal services. PEPW is a program that makes it easier for women to start prenatal care, without having to wait for the final Medicaid approval process to be completed.  Once a woman finds she is pregnant, she is referred to the nurse who starts her PEPW paperwork, who also assesses the mom-to-be and schedules her for an appointment time.  

Last year, the project planned to enroll 350 pregnant women into early prenatal care, but in fact enrolled 508.  The wait time to be scheduled for a first prenatal examination has dropped to as little as one week.  This year, the Health Department hopes to reach an additional 350 pregnant women, starting their prenatal care as early as possible to help reduce complications and improve pregnancy outcomes.

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