Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center offering new mobile unit, expanding health care access for moms-to-be
SALISBURY, Md.- “It just makes it easier to make more appointments to make sure you and your kid are okay,” Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center Patient Unique Erugo said.
A set of four wheels is taking health care for moms to be to the next level through the Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center’s new mobile unit.
The vehicle along with $10,000 was a surprise donation from the Delaware Stork Bus group. “They said do you know anybody and I said absolutely. Our pregnancy center will be more than happy to take that on,” ESPC Nurse Manager Leslie Dean said.
“Now we’re here and now we’re doing it. All the dreams and visions that they had for this are going to happen now.”
The mobile service offers free and confidential pregnancy tests and ultrasounds.
Executive Director Jacquelyn Seldon says it will fulfill a need in many underserved communities, with transportation being a constant barrier to care. “We’ll be able to go into communities like Pocomoke, Crisfield, and even areas like Tyaskin where young women aren’t able to get to us. They don’t have access to shore transit. Now, we’ll be able to go directly to them,” Seldon said.
The mobile unit looks to not only fill the need for transportation but help eliminate other health risk associated with missed appointments. “So we’ll be able to intervene and be able to connect them to medical care immediately if there’s something going on medically that could be a danger to the mom,” Seldon says.
Expectant mother Unique Erugo knows firsthand how hard it can be to make appointments.
She tells us with the new unit in her corner she has the support she needs, even living as far as Tyaskin. “And they’ve like become a family to me because I kind of lost contact with my family who’s over the bridge,” Erugo said.
“If you’re scared like I was for sure, you don’t know what to do, and if you don’t have any family you can reach out to they literally step in and take full action.”
The mobile unit will also be shared with the Sussex Pregnancy Center in Georgetown and Choices Pregnancy Center in Easton.
In addition to the new vehicle, the center partners with community groups to provide parents with much needed essentials like diapers and clothing.
