The Centering Pregnancy ProgramŽ at Erie Family Health Center strives to not only treat the holistic needs of our pregnant patients, but to enforce a sense of belonging and comfort. Centering is a model of group health care delivery that is changing how patients receive health and preventive care. The model has three components: health care assessment, education and support, provided in a group facilitated by a credentialed health provider and a co-facilitator. Centering is a rewarding way for patients to participate in their care and for providers to have a dynamic partnership with their patients. Group participants spend more time with their provider and with others with similar health concerns, giving them an opportunity to learn together and from each other.
 
Heidi Vyhmeister, a certified nurse midwife and head of the Centering Pregnancy Program at Erie, says the program "enriches care because you learn so much about what is happening and what will happen to you. This knowledge empowers pregnant women to make good choices, to trust their instincts better and to be a better consumer of health care." Centering Pregnancy groups also provide a dynamic atmosphere for learning and sharing that is impossible to create in a one-to-one encounter. "Hearing other women share concerns which mirror their own helps the woman to normalize the whole experience of pregnancy," says Heidi. "Groups also are empowering as they provide support to the members and increase individual motivation to learn." 
  
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