A model for providing prenatal health care to indigenous women living in remote areas.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a model for providing health care services for indigenous women of childbearing age who do not have ready access to health care.


METHODS
Program description and prospective annual survey medical records.


RESULTS
Measures of the success of this model of prenatal care include prenatal care initiated in the first trimester of pregnancy, low preterm birth, and low out of hospital birth. In 1985, the first year statistics were maintained, 31 percent of women entered prenatal care in their first trimester, 58 percent in their second trimester and 11 percent in their third trimester. In 1999, ninety-one percent of women initiated prenatal care in their first trimester, 9 percent in their second trimester and none waited until their third trimester to initiate care. This compares favorably with Indian Health Service data indicating that in Alaska 77.4 percent of women with live births entered care in their first trimester of pregnancy.


CONCLUSIONS
The Rural Maternal Child Health program at Alaska Native Medical Center has been successfully providing services to indigenous women and their families in 30 remote Alaska Native Villages.
Baldwin
M
M
Southcentral Foundation, Chugachmiut, Alaska Native Medical Center, USA.
Stevenson
Y
Y
D000413:Alaska; D005260:Female; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D008485:Medical Audit; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*