Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Guadalupe Zazueta, 25, wants to make sure she's in good health before getting pregnant, but she doesn't have insurance and can't afford a visit to the doctor. So she came here to the Mommy Van.
Sponsored by Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, the van offers a range of gynecologic and pregnancy care for women of childbearing age regardless of their ability to pay.
Kay Daniels, M.D. / Stanford Ob-Gyn "WE DO PREGNANCY TESTING, PREGNANCY CARE. WE DO CONTRACEPTION. WE DO BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING. WE DO VACCINATIONS. WE DO TB TESTING ... A RANGE OF WOMEN'T HEALTH CARE."
Kim Mulvihill, M.D. / Eyewitness News "THEY'VE PACKED A LOT INTO A VERY SMALL SPACE. BESIDES BEING ABLE TO DO A FULL EXAM, THEY'VE GOT AN ULTRASOUND TO EVALUATE PATIENTS AND CAN EVEN RUN A FETAL MONITOR STRIP TO SEE HOW A BABY'S DOING."
Doctor Kay Daniels says the goal is to help San Francisco Bay Area women overcome barriers to health care.
Kay Daniels, M.D./ Stanford Ob-Gyn: "YOU KNOW, WE'RE A VERY WEALTHY AREA, VERY PRIVILEDGED POPULATION. BUT THERE ARE POCKETS THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING CARE. AND A LOT OF IT IS GEOGRAPHIC BUT IT COULD BE LANGUAGE, IT COULD BE TRANSPORTATION, OR IT COULD BE INSURANCE."
Guadelupe got prenatal vitamins and a pap smear, a skin test for tuberculosis, and a hepatitis vaccination. And the care doesn't stop there.
They make referrals for low-cost or free mammograms and surgical evaluation if needed. And when it's time for labor and delivery, patients followed in the Mommy Van head to Lucille Packard, something Dr. Daniels finds particularly rewarding.
Kay Daniels, M.D./ Stanford Ob-Gyn: "YOU WALK IN THE ROOM AND THEY GO, 'DR. DANIELS.' AND I'M LIKE, FROM THE VAN. AND THAT'S A LOT OF FUN."
The services are provided free of charge and are available to women who do not have any type of medical insurance.
