Abstract
Prenatal care is an essential form of preventative healthcare that provides timely medical services and fundamental health education to pregnant persons. Routine prenatal care is necessary for the early detection of potential risk factors and to prevent adverse health outcomes during pregnancy. Inadequate prenatal care has been associated with poor perinatal outcomes such as preterm birth, low birthweight, and small for gestational age. Recent immigrants and women facing social or economic vulnerabilities often face significant barriers to receiving adequate prenatal care. Accordingly, innovative models of care have emerged to increase access to prenatal care for vulnerable populations. La Maison Bleue (LMB), a network of community-based health centres in Montreal, is one such model where an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and specialized educators provides medical services and psychosocial support to families experiencing compounding vulnerabilities such as single parent families, those with a precarious immigration status or financial difficulties, and families with histories of interpersonal violence. This project examined the impact LMB’s model of care by examining socio-demographic characteristics, health service utilization, and health outcomes among patients receiving care at the Park Extension and Côte-des-Neiges La Maison Bleue sites from 2016 – 2021.
Overall, when compared to patients receiving care at Local Community Service Centres (CLSC), LMB patients represented a considerably more vulnerable population with intersecting barriers to accessing care. Still, patients at LMB demonstrated similar or better health outcomes than neighbourhood or regional averages and displayed health service utilization patterns that were consistent with recommended guidelines for adequate pre and postnatal care. These findings suggest that LMB’s model of perinatal care, which fosters an environment that promotes a positive pregnancy experience, may improve access to care for vulnerable women and families.