New program launched to improve access to maternal and prenatal care in Pahrump

Silver Summit Health Plan, Nevada Health Centers, High Risk Pregnancy Center and Hera Women’s Health announced the launch of a program to improve access to maternal and prenatal care for high-risk pregnancies in Pahrump and Nye County.

The program expects to begin seeing patients in late 2025, according to a news release.

Titled the Medical Maternity Home Program, the collaborative efforts involve coordinated patient care and outreach, while leveraging maternal-fetal medicine, obstetrician-gynecologists, advanced practitioners and behavioral health providers.

Additionally, community health workers, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), services, along with telehealth services are available to reach affected pregnant women in Nye County, according to Nevada Health Centers CEO Walter Davis.

“We are grateful for Silver Summit’s vision, support, and partnership as we prepare to launch this program in Pahrump,” Davis said in the release. “Right now, women are must travel long distances to get prenatal care. This can be expensive and time-consuming, and by offering OB services locally, in tandem with primary care and other wrap-around care, we keep people in their communities, getting the care they need and deserve.”

With more than 44,000 residents, including 8,000 of reproductive ages 15-to-50 in Pahrump, comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care is severely limited, health officials said.

The nearest facilities, according to Davis, are more than 60 miles away, creating significant barriers to timely and consistent care.

Silver Summit Health Plan Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Evans noted that he believes there are an insufficient number of maternity care providers in Nye County.

“This scarcity in maternity providers results in pregnant women needing to travel long distances to receive prenatal and postpartum care, which contributes to poor birth outcomes such as pre-term birth and low birth weight,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brian Iriye, president of Hera Women’s Health, said that one of the main goals with the Medical Maternity Home Program is to bring together a multi-disciplinary team of specialists to ensure every mother and baby in rural Nevada have access to the high-quality care they deserve.

“Fostering partnerships and utilizing innovative solutions, we aim to overcome the challenges faced by underserved communities and improve maternal and neonatal outcomes across the region.”

The release went on to state that Nevada Health Centers will occupy existing office space in Pahrump and provide complex case management delivered by registered nurses to at-risk women.

The High-Risk Pregnancy Center and Hera Women’s Health will provide various prenatal services, including ultrasounds, genetic counseling, behavioral health and delivery services.

Funding for the Medical Maternity Health Program will be provided by the Centene Foundation, which will allocate $1 million over three years. An additional $100,000 will be provided by Silver Summit Health plan.

For more information on the Medical Maternity Health Program, call 702-563-4600.