The Birth Place birthing center and the Easy Access Prenatal Care Clinics serve women from all walks of life who ultimately have healthy pregnancies and babies under the care of Jennie's innovative prenatal care system, aptly named The JJ (Jennie Joseph) Way®. The mission is simple: to improve pregnancy and infant health outcomes by increasing ACCESS, providing EDUCATION and offering SUPPORT.
Who is JJ?
Jennie Joseph is a British-trained midwife of twenty-eight years standing, practicing in the Winter Garden/Orlando area since 1995. Her recent book Beautiful! Images of Health, Joy and Vitality in Pregnancy and Birth chronicles the stories of some of the African American women in her practice who have triumphed against the odds, and have had healthy babies. Jennie has become an expert in the field of Infant Mortality as well as Black Infant Health and has assisted countless women who would have been at-risk to carry their babies to full-term.
How can The JJ Way® make a difference for YOU?
ACCESS - We don’t turn anyone away! Prenatal care is essential to healthy outcomes yet is very difficult to secure if you are uninsured, waiting or between insurance or unable to afford the cost of care. Worse yet, you can get lost in complicated application systems for state or federal programs and find yourself with a rapidly advancing pregnancy and no provider willing to help you. Any pregnant woman who needs help will receive care.
EDUCATION - we want to make sure that all pregnant women and their families understand what is happening at all times. Our goal is a full-term healthy baby every time. Therefore we focus on educating mothers on optimum care for themselves and their newborns in ways that are practical, meaningful and doable. A peer-educator is available at every prenatal visit. From nutrition through parenting all classes are provided in-house and are free of charge.
SUPPORT – our patients and their families are treated with the utmost respect. We empower mothers to become their own best resource. The fundamental premise of The JJ Way® is that ‘every woman wants a healthy baby and every woman deserves one’. With that said we work as a TEAM to reach that goal – we support you every step of the way.
The JJ Way® works!
A 2007 study of The JJ Way® health care system documented no low birth weight babies and no premature babies for the African American and Hispanic women among the 100 study participants. Other successful efforts and models to address this issue are also being demonstrated around the country.
WHAT IS AN EASY ACCESS CLINIC?
The Birth Place is home to the original Easy Access Prenatal Care Clinic and is located in Winter Garden, Florida. Since then three other satellite clinics have been established in Orange City, Daytona Beach and new Smyrna Beach, Florida.
An Easy Access Prenatal Care Clinic provides:
- first trimester “access” to prenatal care and continuity of care, as well as postpartum services regardless of ability to pay*.
- an extended educational and social support service program- childbirth preparation, breastfeeding, parenting, nutrition, preconception and interconception education, abstinence education, counseling services, mentoring, support groups, and other social services. Additional services are available for the father of the baby as well.
* However, the clinic does accept most insurance including Medicaid and temporary Medicaid.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF AN EASY ACCESS CLINIC?
- To increase the number of women who receive access to timely maternity health care
- To provide practical, social, educational support, resources and referrals as a means to improving the chances for a positive pregnancy outcome.
WHY IS AN EASY ACCESS CLINIC NEEDED IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
The current ‘OB Crisis’ in Central Florida is due to the shortage of providers, resources and safety-net services and has compounded a situation which has been steadily spinning out of control.
Local health clinics are operating at capacity, making it difficult to get an appointment, or have closed down.
The continual barriers that pregnant women face are once again impacting their health and the health of their unborn babies thus increasing healthcare and educational costs.
The healthcare cost of caring for a preterm or low-birth weight infant in its first year of life is estimated to be about $51,600 versus a full-term infant at $2,830.00
DOES The JJ Way® EASY ACCESS CLINIC REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
ABSOLUTELY! The JJ Way® Easy Access Clinic is proactive in its approach to care therefore it is cost effective in the long run.
A 2007 study conducted by the Winter Park Health Foundation and the Health Council of East Central Florida on 100 women receiving care revealed that there were no low birth weight or premature infants born to African American or Latina women who participated in the Easy Access program.
