Cally* was desperately searching for medical care in September of 2020. She worried she might be pregnant and had no insurance coverage. And to make matters worse, the pandemic had made it incredibly difficult to access health care.
“I called place after place. No one would see me. No one even offered help or suggested where I could go. ‘Sorry we can’t help you’ was what I heard every place I called. I was on my own and felt so alone. I can’t explain how desperate and afraid I felt.”
But then a glimmer of hope. An ad for Care Net’s First Care Clinic came up on her phone and this time, Cally found genuine help on the other end of the line. “They said I could come right then!”
Our nurse confirmed she was pregnant and performed an ultrasound. “I was overwhelmed and scared,” remembered Cally. “But the nurse was so reassuring and truly helpful. I still have the ultrasound picture she gave me and cherish it to this day.”
Before Cally left that day, she was enrolled in BadgerCare health insurance, directed to where she could find ongoing obstetric care, and given prenatal vitamins. All at no cost.
She also had the promise of ongoing support. Knowing that first-time moms often feel nervous and unprepared for the responsibility of motherhood—especially when faced with an unexpected pregnancy—First Care offers parenting classes to our patients. Cally signed up right away, anxious to prepare herself for the coming changes in her life. As a gift, for enrolling, she was given a baby blanket that her daughter, Yadira,* still treasures—a physical reminder of the blanket of care she received at First Care.
Cally still comes to First Care Clinic. “I’ve learned how to be a good mom and I’m making healthier relationship choices because of what I’ve learned here. I can always count on First Care Clinic. I have all the materials ever given to me – I completely trust this place.”
*names changed to protect privacy.