Chicago, IL - This summer, PCC Community Wellness Center (PCC) was awarded funding from the March of Dimes, Illinois Chapter for the Ready/LISTA Pregnancy Testing Program. PCC is grateful for the continued support of the Chapter and for the opportunity to further the March of Dimes’ mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Through the March of Dimes funding, PCC will be able to fully spread the READY/LISTA program to our Austin, North, and West Town sites, and formalize the program to ensure comprehensive preconception and early pregnancy counseling. This will have a great impact on the health of women in Chicago, their pregnancies, and ultimately their future children.
PCC’s READY/LISTA program responds to women who are ready to seek support, answers, and advice; ready to initiate health care; ready to make decisions; and ready to invest in awareness about their fertility or maternity. This program provides professional nurse counseling and education services, free of charge, to all women who seek pregnancy tests, either by appointment or walk- in visit. Each woman diagnosed with pregnancy will be given options; counseling, early pregnancy education, and prenatal care with a provider. For women who test negative for pregnancy, the nurse will provide thorough preconception counseling and education about family planning and sexually transmitted infection risk reduction. All PCC services and materials are offered in English and Spanish to answer all women’s questions and empower them to take charge of their pregnancies or family planning.
PCC sites are located where pre-conception and early pregnancy services are needed the most. Two of PCC’s largest sites serve Chicago’s Austin community. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health Office of Epidemiology, 14.5% of babies in Austin are born premature, double the Healthy People 2010 target for premature birth which is <7.6%. The READY/LISTA program is just one of the many health care and support services PCC offers. PCC Community Wellness Center is a not-for-profit community health center network with ten health centers dedicated to providing comprehensive high-quality, accessible primary health care, preventive education and supportive services, specializing in the delivery of comprehensive maternal and child health services. For more information about PCC sites and services, please see our website at www.pccwellness.org. To learn more about PCC’s READY/LISTA Pregnancy Testing Program, please contact Andrea McGlynn at 708-383-0113 ext.7277.
For more information about this topic or to schedule an interview, please contact Toni Bush at (708) 524-7687 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
