Improve Health Outcomes of Mother and Baby by Increasing Utilization of Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program at Vista Community Clinic

Through a problem statement outlined by Vista Community Clinic (VCC), a Federally Qualified Health Center in North County San Diego, CA, and a partnership with California State University’s (CSUSM) Psychology Department, we sought to identify the barriers pregnant and postpartum women faced that prevented them from accessing prenatal services and participating in the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP) at VCC. Our team began the preliminary analysis of the parent grant outlined by the CSUSM psychology team titled, “Identification of Culturally-Relevant Barriers to Positive Patient-Provider and Medical Staff Interactions in a Federally Qualified Health Center.” Quantitative data was collected through distribution of 50 surveys created by the CSUSM’s psychology team, to women who were currently receiving, or who had received their prenatal care at VCC. Qualitative data was collected by conducting seven separate focus groups with interviews held in both English and Spanish with women who were recruited upon completing the survey. The results of the preliminary analysis showed that women enrolled in CPSP at VCC were overall satisfied with the care they received however, wait time and clinic workflow practices proved to be barriers for women when accessing care and impact their satisfaction levels with the care they receive. Though, this is a preliminary analysis and part of a larger picture. Other health centers can adopt this program and follow the same principles and policies to accomplish similar positive health outcomes, especially among vulnerable minority populations in their community, who are most at risk for complications.