“It’s terrible to be 14 or 15 and to be pregnant – to be scared to death.  Maybe you (had) parents who were so angry, they would kick you right out of the house.”

When Roma Beorsma, 92, began working as a Booth Memorial Hospital nurse in 1946, it was less common to be a teenage mother.  Today, one in three American teen girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20 and result in nearly 400,000 births each year.  And more than 8 out of 10 people from working families are uninsured.

Before 1979, The Salvation Army of West Michigan and Northern Indiana headquarters building used to be the Booth Memorial Hospital, where Roma worked as a nurse for 45 years.  For the last several years, the Prenatal and Family Health Clinic has worked in partnership with Cherry Street Health Services to provide women and children with traditional medical care and OB/GYN services.

The Prenatal Clinic offers patients a choice of either traditional prenatal care or alternative prenatal care.  The Family Health Clinic includes acute care as well as yearly physicals, family planning, and well child exams.  A “Circle of Care” program is also available to expectant mothers where women at 16 – 20 weeks join other women to explore topics such as nutrition, childbirth, and parenting.  These group meetings follow the same schedule as the traditional care and continue until the birth of the baby.

Last year, the Prenatal and Family Health Clinic served over 400 women and nearly 1,000 children.

For more information, please visit www.boothfamilyservices.org.