CenteringPregnancy® is a model of prenatal care that combines the three main components of prenatal care (assessment, education, support) in a group setting.  It can be implemented in a variety of sites such as community health centers, hospital and public health clinics, private offices and HMOs. Centering Healthcare Institute, Inc. (formerly the Centering Pregnancy & Parenting Association, Inc.) provides resources and support to organizations implementing CenteringPregnancy®, including instructional workshops, consultation, implementation handbooks/tools, and promotional materials (source: http://www.centeringpregnancy.com/).

By enhancing the delivery of prenatal care, CenteringPregnancy® fits strategically with the March of Dimes mission. Through the chapter community grants program, March of Dimes Chapters can provide financial support to organizations implementing this model.  A recent study published in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s Green Journal showed that the Centering model of prenatal care improved pregnancy outcomes in the area of reducing preterm births and increasing breastfeeding initiation, psychosocial function, and patient satisfaction*.  For more information on Centering Pregnancy, visit http://www.centeringpregnancy.org/.

Funding Assistance for CenteringPregnancy®

March of Dimes has Community Grant funding available to help clinics that would like to implement the Centering Pregnancy model of care. Below are application guidelines and forms. Please note that Letter of Intents for the 2009 Grant Year (March 1, 2009 – February 28, 2010) are due by Monday, June 2nd.  For more information, call Tojuana Fulton at 803-252-5200 or tfulton@marchofdimes.com.  (Tojuana and I will send you the guidelines and forms to link here this week)

Chapter community grant funds may support the following costs:

• Training and consultant fees for project implementation
• Implementation materials (e.g. CenteringPregnancy® handbook)
• Participant educational materials (e.g. participants notebooks, March of Dimes health education materials)
• Refreshments to enhance group support activities
• Incentives for group participants
• Program supplies (e.g. postage, stationary)
• * Administrative support (e.g. data entry for evaluation, scheduling)

The CenteringPregnancy® model is generally intended to operate within existing personnel structures.  However, depending on the project, some initiatives may require salary costs for administrative support such as data entry, appointment scheduling, and multi-site coordination.  March of Dimes community grant funds cannot support the costs of existing employees working full-time.

To view a sample Community Grant Application, click below. Special thanks to Jeff Reece and Chesterfield County General Hospital for allowing us to share a sample of their 2008 grant application, Tiny Toes. 

Click here to view photos from the February 2008 Centering Pregnancy Workshop.