PRESS RELEASE

Plainfield Health Center Expands Midwifery Program
Patient Demand Supports Unique Approach to Women’s Health Care

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 7, 2002-PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY- The Plainfield Health Center, one of fifteen Federally Qualified Health Centers in New Jersey, dedicated to providing cost effective primary health care services for the residents of Plainfield and surrounding communities, announced today the expansion of its certified nurse midwifery program to increase services for a larger group of female patients. The midwifery program, introduced at the Plainfield Health Center in 1991, created a partnership between Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and board certified obstetricians and gynecologists, primarily to care for pregnant women.

Today, the midwifery program is more than just maternity care. Midwives care for women throughout their life cycle, offering a full range of obstetrical and gynecological services, including annual exams, health screenings and treatment, contraceptive counseling, menopausal consultation, and more. Midwives also focus on health promotion and disease prevention.

“With education as our primary tenet, we devote much of our time to personalized, one-on-one teaching of all aspects of a woman’s care,” said Shirley White-Walker, Chief of Midwifery Services at the Plainfield Health Center. “This is the kind of care that has made midwifery the primary health care practice for women in many cultures, and as our population becomes more diverse, the demand for midwives has increased. We are delighted to have Laura Martin, CNM, join our staff, allowing us to expand access to midwifery services to many more patients, ” said Ms. White-Walker. The Plainfield Health Center now has five full time midwives, all of whom are highly experienced and licensed in nursing and midwifery.

To learn more about the midwifery program at the Plainfield Health Center, or to make an appointment, call 908.753.6401, extension 171.

About The Plainfield Health Center

The Plainfield Health Center, incorporated as the Plainfield Neighborhood Health Services Corporation, was born in 1969 under the auspices of the 1960's Model Cities Neighborhood Program. Led by a dedicated group of community activists, the Center was initially created to provide accessible health care to the residents of the West End of Plainfield.

Since then, the Center has grown, added more services, increased the number of specialties of professional health staff, and expanded its reach to the entire City of Plainfield and neighboring communities. Today, the Plainfield Health Center serves more than 17,000 patients annually. Its total care program provides adult medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, adolescent medicine, school based services, dentistry and ancillary support services.

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