This month marks the kickoff of the 2016-2017 Miscarriage Care Initiative (MCI)! With the MCI, RHAP is increasing the number of primary care clinics and providers offering comprehensive miscarriage care, and developing clinical leaders and advocates within family medicine across the country. Five organizations will receive intensive support from RHAP to integrate and expand treatment for early pregnancy loss into their primary care practice sites. Leading these efforts is a Clinical Champion, a family physician who has demonstrated commitment to expanding access to evidence-based, patient-centered miscarriage care. We are so pleased to share with you our 2016-2017 MCI cohort.

Clinica Family Health Services (Denver, Colorado): Clinica is a large FQHC with several locations throughout the Denver and Boulder metropolitan areas. Clinica provides full-spectrum dental, medical, and behavioral health services to a diverse group of patients within their large service area. Dr. Britt Severson, a Family Physician, will head up the multidisciplinary teams working to implement the project across two Clinica sites. The MCI will help Dr. Severson and her team to ensure that every patient experiencing early pregnancy loss can choose what type of care they would like, in a setting that is accessible and comfortable.

Clínica de la Raza and Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano Family Medicine Residency Program (Vallejo, California): Dr. Gabe Flaxman, a family physician and the Director of Obstetrics and Family Planning Curriculum, will be spearheading this joint effort between the residency and local federally qualified health center. The MCI will support Dr. Flaxman’s ongoing efforts to integrate teaching all three types of miscarriage care into the residency curriculum, and expand access to include aspiration management for early pregnancy loss. The MCI will also help expand access to comprehensive miscarriage care for patients at La Clínica, where residents rotate as part of their longitudinal community medicine training.

Esperanza Health Centers- Marquette Clinic (Chicago, Illinois): A large percentage of Marquette’s population are reproductive aged women of color, and with the MCI, Dr. Patti Chico will work to ensure that her patients can receive comprehensive miscarriage care within their own community. Dr. Chico is a Family Physician and Lead Provider at Marquette Clinic, and also plans to implement the project at this federally qualified health center’s two other sites.

Maine Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency (Augusta, Maine): The Family Medicine Institute (FMI)  is a long-standing practice in rural Maine which serves about 14,000 patients yearly. The FMI and its sister clinic further north are the primary area providers of prenatal care for pregnant women with substance abuse issues.  Many of these women face stigma and shame outside of the community clinic. As such, Dr. Julia McDonald and her team plan to integrate comprehensive miscarriage management care so that their patients can receive treatment in a setting that is safe, accessible, and familiar. Dr. McDonald is on the faculty of the Family Medicine Residency and will work to integrate miscarriage management into the family medicine residency curriculum.

Maine Medical Center Family Medicine Residency (Portland and Falmouth, Maine): The Family Medicine Residency clinical practice is comprised of two sites that serve a diverse patient population in Portland and the surrounding communities, including a large percentage of patients who are refugees. Dr. Kohar Der Simonian, who is core faculty at the residency, will spearhead the organization’s efforts to integrate miscarriage care into the residency curriculum, with the goal of increasing options and reducing barriers to care for women experiencing early pregnancy loss.