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Photo: Dr. Auja McDougale, medical director of the Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center and an obstetrician and gynecologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

NewYork-Presbyterian today announced the launch of a Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center that provides high-quality health care to women who are pregnant and of childbearing age in underserved communities in New York City.

The Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center® is provided through a collaboration with March of Dimes and is their first in the tristate area. The mobile center brings pregnancy, post-birth, and women’s health care directly to women right in their communities, regardless of their insurance or immigration status.

Services include full obstetric and well-woman exams, prenatal and postpartum care, screenings for cervical cancer and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), breast exams, vaccination, laboratory testing, ultrasounds, contraceptive counseling, mental health screenings and referrals, and education about caring for a newborn with breastfeeding support for new moms. Patients are scheduled, as needed, with an appointment for follow-up care at a medical location.

“The Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center offers a bridge to care,” says Dr. Auja McDougale, the mobile center’s medical director, who is an obstetrician and gynecologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and an assistant professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine. “Bringing patients into the healthcare system so they have ongoing much-needed medical care is vital for healthy moms and healthy babies.”

About one in 18 infants is born to a woman receiving late or no prenatal care in New York, according to March of Dimes. Early and regular prenatal care can improve the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy and baby.

“March of Dimes is proud to assist families at every stage of the pregnancy journey, even when access to high-quality care is out of reach," says Darcy Dreyer, March of Dimes Director of Maternal Infant Health for New York. “Our mobile health centers offer on-the-ground, maternal health programs with services aimed at bringing support, education and care to moms, moms-to-be and their families.”

Staffed by a team of NewYork-Presbyterian healthcare providers, the 40-foot unit has two exam rooms and an intake and lab area with refrigerators for specimens, medications, and vaccines.

NewYork-Presbyterian’s Division of Community and Population Health collaborates with community-based organizations to bring the mobile health unit to the women the groups serve. The Mom and Baby Bus currently visits two shelters for unhoused women and families in Queens, operated by the non-profit agency CAMBA, with plans to expand to additional neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn that have high rates of late or no prenatal care.

The mobile unit aims to help close the access gap, reduce health disparities, and improve health outcomes for moms, babies, and women of childbearing age.

About NewYork-Presbyterian

NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospitals across the Greater New York area, nearly 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.

A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is affiliated with two renowned medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.

Founded 250 years ago, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has a long legacy of medical breakthroughs and innovation, from the invention of the Pap test to pioneering the groundbreaking heart valve replacement procedure called TAVR.

NewYork-Presbyterian’s 50,000 employees and affiliated physicians are dedicated to providing the highest quality, most compassionate care to New Yorkers and patients from across the country and around the world.

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About March of Dimes

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can get the best possible start. Since 1938, we’ve built a successful legacy to support every pregnant person and every family. To learn more about March of Dimes, please visit marchofdimes.org.