Rosa's Story
November 27, 2019High-Quality Care for Moms and Babies in Need
Ana Sofia grins a hello, her eyes beaming above healthy plump cheeks. The four-month-old is thriving, the happy outcome of months of prenatal care provided to her mother Rosa Pineda at the OB/GYN clinic at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.
The clinic, as well as the OB/GYN clinic at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, helps uninsured women such as Rosa increase the chances of a healthy newborn, regardless of the mother’s ability to pay. The OB/GYN clinic’s high-quality maternity services include prenatal care, the baby’s delivery and follow-up care.
“As soon as I learned I could get free prenatal care from a Holy Cross OB/GYN clinic, I signed up,” Rosa said. “I knew it was important for the baby’s development and for my own health.”
Months before her due date, the OB/GYN clinic at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital got Rosa started on prenatal vitamins and improved her nutrition. “They encouraged me to eat more fruits, vegetables and fish, and they monitored my baby’s growth. I am very grateful for their care.”
"As soon as I learned I could get free prenatal care from a Holy cross OB/GYN Clinic, I signed up." - Rosa Pineda, shown with her daughter Ana Sofia.
Rosa, who speaks Spanish, particularly appreciated the ease of communications with the bilingual staff. “I always knew that whenever I had questions, I could call and get answers.” When the time for the baby’s birth arrived, Rosa felt confident. “I received excellent medical attention. I knew that with the help of God and the excellent care I was receiving, everything would be okay.”
And it was. Ana Sofia arrived in June 2016, a healthy 7.7 pounds. Yet this was only the beginning of Holy Cross Health’s commitment to mother and newborn. Holy Cross Health’s extensive support for women includes prenatal and infant-care classes in English and Spanish, and regular follow-up examinations.
Ana herself soon received a home visit by a Holy Cross Health nurse who stopped by to confirm the baby’s weight gain, and within days of her birth, Ana began regular pediatric visits at the Holy Cross Health Center in Germantown. Ana’s older brothers and sisters also receive care at the same health center. Today, Holy Cross Health’s services for those in need benefit the entire family — which makes everyone, not only Ana, smile.
Holy Cross Health's OB/GYN Clinics
Holy Cross Health is the leading provider of prenatal, obstetric and gynecologic services for uninsured women in Montgomery County, where 17 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 44 are uninsured. Since 2000, our two OB/GYN clinics, at Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, have served more than 22,000 uninsured women.
Maternity Partnership Program
Holy Cross Health’s two OB/GYN clinics care for women in need as part of the Maternity Partnership program, a collaboration with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Through the program, women without health insurance are able to receive prenatal care, obtain routine laboratory tests related to their pregnancy, and participate in prenatal classes.
Health Center Care for Children
The Holy Cross Health Center in Germantown expands our commitment to serving uninsured and Medicaid-insured area residents. Our newest health center, it provides pediatric and family services as well as care for adults. Newborns, particularly those delivered at either of our hospitals, can seamlessly begin their care within days of leaving the hospital. The health center staff is bilingual in English and Spanish, and interpreters are available for other languages.