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Newmarket, Ontario June 8,2004 - While the shortage of family physicians accepting new patients continues to be a concern in York Region, Southlake Region Health Centre’s Maternal Child Program has responded to the needs of pregnant women by introducing the ABC Prenatal Clinic.

“More and more we’re finding that women either don’t have a family doctor or they keep their doctor from their last place of residence because they aren’t able to find anyone closer,” stated Sheena Shannon, Prenatal Educator and Coordinator for the Clinic.

“This becomes an issue when they get pregnant because all of a sudden they require monthly visits to ensure their pregnancy is progressing as it should be.”

Southlake Regional Health Centre’s Prenatal Clinic is not only designed for pregnant women who do not have a family doctor in the area but is also available for women whose family doctors don’t provide prenatal care.

Once enrolled, women are scheduled to see one of the clinic’s doctors once a month from the time they learn they are pregnant until they are referred to an obstetrician or midwife of their choice, anywhere from 26 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. Just as with a family doctor, women receive prenatal screening and if found to be “high risk”, would be referred to an obstetrician sooner. They may then go on to see a specialist at the High Risk Clinic at Southlake which is a satellite of Mt. Sinai Hospital.

The clinic is operated out of the hospital’s Birthing Unit, which provides women the opportunity to become familiar with both the physical surroundings and the staff prior to their delivery.

The clinic, which is a companion to the ABC Prenatal Education program, will accept women without a physician’s referral. Pregnant women can call patient scheduling at (905) 895-4521, extension 2665 to book an appointment or extension 2724 to get more information.

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