A maternity clinic for all
The clinic’s purpose is rooted in Providence’s philosophy of non-judgmental and compassionate care for all patients, including persons at society’s margins.
A new maternity clinic that opened in Spring 2018 in St. Paul’s Hospital is caring for women who plan to deliver at the hospital, including those without a family doctor (GP).
True to Providence’s mission, it is supporting some of the city’s most vulnerable women, such as new Canadians who don’t have a doctor and members of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community, including some grappling with substance use.
The St. Paul’s Maternity Clinic cares for low- or moderate-risk patients during pregnancy and birth, during the mom and newborn’s hospital stay and for up to six weeks after birth.
Kana Takano and her husband, who welcomed sweet baby Sakurako at St. Paul’s Maternity Clinic in April.
Dr. Ashley Smith and Dr. Donna McLachlan spearheaded the clinic’s launch together with Providence’s Maternity program. They say it provides an unmet need among women who might have trouble receiving continuous care in their pregnancy because of their lack of a regular GP.
The clinic will help patients transition back to their community family doctor after the baby’s birth, or help them find a family doctor if they do not have one.
With the clinic, our obstetricians and gynecologists can now refer low- and moderate-risk patients to the clinic and concentrate on the patients that require their expertise, for the benefit of all.
The clinic is located on the fifth floor of the Burrard Building in the clinical teaching area. Its physicians are affiliated with the UBC Family Medicine teaching program. It will serve as a teaching clinic.
