Women who think they may be pregnant will be able to walk in to WMed Health for free, confidential pregnancy testing starting in March.
Starting March 2, testing will be available from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at WMed Health’s Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic at 1000 Oakland Drive. Patients should check in at the clinic on the first floor.
Dr. Debra Taubel, chair of the medical school’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the new program is a community service that aims to cut down on instances of women going to a hospital’s emergency department to confirm pregnancy. Dr. Taubel said WMed Health often gets referrals for care from women who have confirmed pregnancy at a hospital emergency department.
“What we would like to do is provide that service in a more suitable location and a suitable format,” Dr. Taubel said. “You’re not going to the ED, you’re coming to a place that can do it on a walk-in, free basis, to help the women of the area take care of themselves in a timely way.”
The test takes minutes, and women will leave WMed Health’s clinics with information and resources whether the pregnancy test is positive or negative. If positive, the women will leave WMed Health with information on prenatal care and a list of clinics in the Kalamazoo area that can care for them. If negative, women will receive information on pre-conception care and resources for contraceptives.
“We can offer every patient information, guidance and education,” Dr. Taubel said. “If they choose us for clinical care that’s awesome, but that’s not the only intent. We want to give them accurate results that they can use to help them make a decision on their care.”
WMed Health offers more than 30 clinical services and employs more than 330 providers throughout Southwest Michigan.
“We’re easily accessible,” Dr. Taubel said. “We offer other forms of health care here. I think this is the right place to do it. I think the community will use the service.”
All testing will be confidential, and will not be labeled in the patient’s chart as pregnancy testing. Patients will receive a paper confirming pregnancy as proof to seek care or to receive free prescription prenatal vitamins.
“It’s information that should be kept confidential unless the patient wants to release it,” Dr. Taubel said. “Women’s reproductive health is important and it’s a private matter.”
For more information on WMed Health’s free pregnancy testing, call 269.337.6075.