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In this issue...
Front & Center
Jerry Thacker
Without a Vision
Rev. Mark Hiehle
Now is the Time
to "Go Medical"
Thomas A. Glessner, J.D.
Looking for Love
Debra O'Leary
The Church and
the Center --
an Uneasy Marriage
Patrick Mclaughlin
Marketing 101:
Sign, Sign,
Everywhere a Sign
Jerry Thacker
The Power of Regret
Sydna A. Massé
Operation Outcry:
Women No Longer
Held Captive by the Lie
Kathleen Cassidy
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By Thomas A. Glessner, J.D.
Across the nation hundreds of pregnancy help centers are discovering the benefits of converting their operations to medical clinics and are adding needed medical services to their menus. Centers that have done so are finding a renewed determination to reach abortion-minded clients in greater numbers. Pregnancy medical centers are able to use ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and, in doing so, introduce the abortion-minded client to her unborn child.
Centers which have made this step to the next level of operation are finding: (1) an increase in the number of truly abortion-minded clients coming to the center and seeking a pregnancy diagnosis to determine if they are, indeed, pregnant; and (2) an increase in the percentage of these abortion-minded women who change their minds and choose life after seeing their unborn child on the ultrasound screen.
Given the results obtained by pregnancy help medical clinics, what legitimate reasons does your center have for not pursuing the medical clinic model and providing medical services? There should be no delay! The time to "go medical" is now.
Frequently Asked Questions
When considering whether or not your center should pursue a medical clinic model, there are numerous questions your board of directors may have. The following are the most frequently asked questions that boards have regarding such a transformation. The answers to these questions should be helpful to your deliberations.
What is a pregnancy help medical clinic? A pregnancy help medical clinic (PHMC) is simply a pregnancy help center which has modified its operations to add specific medical services to its list of services. To do so, the center must be a licensed medical clinic under the laws of the state in which it operates. Unless defined otherwise by state law, a "medical clinic" is a facility that provides medical services under the supervision and direction of a licensed physician.
There are a few key
differences between a
pregnancy help center and
a pregnancy help medical clinic,
but there is a significant
difference in the effectiveness
of the medical clinic. |
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How complicated is it to become licensed as a medical clinic? Only a few states, such as California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York have detailed licensing and inspection requirements which a center must meet in order to qualify as a medical clinic. Most states do not have such stringent regulations and require only that a physician (M.D.) who is licensed to practice medicine in the state serve as the medical director of the clinic and supervise all of the medical services being offered.
Are there federal laws governing the operations of a PHMC? Federal OSHA (Office of Safety and Health Administration) standards apply to all such clinics. In addition, a federal law known as CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) also applies, and the proper paperwork must be completed to satisfy such requirements.
If our center becomes a medical clinic, will we cease to provide crisis intervention counseling? No! A PHMC is still a crisis pregnancy center and continues to provide crisis intervention counseling for women who are in crisis pregnancies. By converting to a medical clinic, a center is not changing its mission. Rather, it is simply adding to its operation medical services that will help to empower women in crisis pregnancies to choose life.
What medical services are offered by a PHMC? Typically, the medical services provided are limited to pregnancy diagnosis testing and ultrasound examinations to determine the viability of the pregnancy. Some clinics are offering STD testing as well. Very few are offering prenatal care, but most PHMCs are referring clients to private physicians for prenatal care.
Why should our center consider converting to a PHMC? The medical services offered by PHMCs are attracting more clients than have come before. PHMCs offer clients an immediate diagnosis of whether or not they are pregnant. (A non-medical PHC cannot provide such a diagnosis since doing so would be practicing medicine.) An ultrasound can both confirm a pregnancy and establish its viability. By conducting STD testing, PHMCs can offer women immediate help and care for related health problems. Centers which have converted to medical clinics are reporting significant increases in the number of clients they are seeing.
Is this kind of conversion expensive? The expense of making such a conversion will vary depending on a number of factors. If the zoning and building codes where a center is located require changes in the facility before it can serve as a clinic, then such expenses must be incurred. Likewise, additional expense will be incurred through the hiring of a nurse manager to run the clinic. However, it has been our observation that when a PHC shares with its community and supporters its vision of "going medical," additional funds are raised to meet these expenses.
Must a center convert to a medical clinic before providing ultrasound services? The provision of ultrasound services is the practice of medicine. Ultrasound is a diagnostic procedure that must be supervised and directed by a licensed physician experienced in ultrasound. Hence, before your center provides such services, it must meet the requirements necessary to operate as a medical clinic. This means the center must either be licensed as a medical clinic or have a licensed physician who serves as the medical director and who oversees and is responsible for the provision of ultrasound services.
Who can perform ultrasound examinations at our center if we become a medical clinic? Ultrasound services must be directed by and supervised by a licensed physician who is familiar with the technology and can review each exam given. Those who are capable of performing such exams under such supervision are: physicians, ultrasonographers, and nurses. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) provides for nurses a training course in limited obstetrical ultrasound examinations. Nonetheless, it is still the responsibility of the overseeing physician to review the results of each exam.
How can NIFLA help our center make this conversion? NIFLA has published a manual, The Pregnancy Help Medical Clinic, which outlines the necessary steps to convert your center to a medical clinic. The manual comes with a computer disk, which contains the necessary policies and procedures to satisfy OSHA standards as well as checklists, job descriptions, and organizational flow charts to guide you through this process. This manual can be ordered from NIFLA.
The Life Choice Project
NIFLA has developed The Life Choice Project (TLC) to help pregnancy centers convert to medical clinics. Under this program, all resources needed to make this conversion possible are made available to the center. Included in this package are: a TLC medical clinic consultant for one year, training in ultrasound for two nurses and your director, medical malpractice insurance, policies and procedures for the clinic, help in fundraising at your banquet, and a new ultrasound machine at a discounted price.
| For more information on TLC, call Beth Chase, executive director of TLC at (800) 396-8939 or Thomas Glessner, president of NIFLA at (540) 785-9853 or visit the web site at www.nifla.org. |
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