STUART, Fla. — Florida Community Health Centers, the largest OB/GYN care provider in the Treasure Coast, announced Wednesday that they are preparing to scale back their services due to lack of funding.
The non-profit organization provides prenatal care to almost 6,000 mothers a year throughout its seven Treasure Coast locations across Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties.
Florida Community Health Centers CEO Dr. Wilhelmina Lewis said the changes are due to the Medicaid re-determination.
Additionally, the organization has lost all funding from private donors. Now, they'll be spending the next 60 days re-evaluating how to move forward.
“Our goal is to as much as possible preserve the level of service that we are providing," Lewis said.
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Changes could include reducing hours or consolidating some locations.
“It’s not our plan at all to eliminate OB/GYN services," Lewis said. "We just would have to see how we maximally utilize the staff that we have.”
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In an email addressed to Martin County Health Department staff, Health Officer Nick Clifton explained what the loss could mean for the county.
“This will have a great impact on the maternal and child health of the residents of Martin County," Clifton said. "For the last several years (Florida Community Health Centers) has handled the prenatal care for more than 60% of the expecting mothers in Martin County.”
The announcement comes after Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital gets ready to shut down its maternal unit on April 1.
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In the meantime, Dr. Lewis is hoping the community will provide more support.
"It's incredibly important that we understand the impact that a lack of prenatal care can have on our communities," Lewis said. "We have to do our best to make sure that while this baby is growing, while this mom is carrying this baby, that we're providing health care that assures a healthy delivery."
