How to Start a Nurse Run Mom & Baby Clinic

Starting a nurse-run mom and baby clinic is an ideal way to help those in your community. Those with a medical background can make a big difference, especially since many Americans remain uninsured and are denied access to basic health services. Whether you choose to operate a daily clinic, or open for patients only once a week, you will be providing an important service to mothers and young children who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.

Things You'll Need

• Staff of volunteer nurses
• Legal counsel
• Support administrative staff
• Commercial or private building space
• Liability insurance
• Medical supplies and equipment

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Instructions

How to Start a Nurse Run Mom and Baby Clinic

• 1

  Decide who your clinic will serve. In most cases, you will be focusing upon mothers and babies who are uninsured, There are still many other things to think about. Determine if you are able to handle high-risk pregnancies and babies born with health problems, or if you will simply take normal, non-eventful gestations and recent, healthy births, while referring complicated cases elsewhere. After you have determined if you will provide general care or a specialized clinic, you will need to recruit a staff of registered nurses to work with you, as well as make a list of what supplies you'll need to get started. You can usually find demographic information on those living in your region by getting in touch with the state health department, and this can assist you in making decisions.

• 2

  Gather a team for your clinic. Start with the logistical staff, such as an accountant, insurance agent, and attorney. Then, recruit office and fundraising staffers. Finally, ask around within your network of friends, at local hospitals, and at nursing schools for registered nurses (or upcoming graduates) who may be interested in volunteering their time. Whenever possible, recruit support staff who have a background in non-profit organizations, as becoming a non-profit group will be the easiest way to sustain your clinic and receive funds.

• 3

  Find a location and supplies for your clinic. Again, work with local hospitals and doctors in private practice for referrals and support. Some hospitals may provide you space if it's available, or you may have to work independently with your team to find a commercial building. Your building will need to have secure areas for patient files, enough space for private examination rooms, and a waiting area. You will also need a storage room for medications, supplies, and ultrasound machines. Ask everyone within your network thus far if they would be willing to donate mother and baby related medical equipment and/or monetary funds so you can purchase these things. Gynecological examining tables, ultrasound machines, general gynecologic and obstetric examination tools, and over-the-counter prenatal vitamins are examples of some supplies you will need to get started. You'll also want to have standard medical equipment such as scales, blood-pressure cuffs and biohazard bins.

• 4

  Find area hospitals and clinics already functioning that are able to take on a percentage of your high-risk clients who come through the door. If you encounter a prenatal medical condition you are unable to treat or monitor at your facility, have a place to send the mother before you open your doors. A nurse-run mother and baby clinic has only so much expertise, and it's only practical to contact with some obstetricians and general practitioners in your region who will volunteer their time, services, and experience toward helping your patients. Even though you will be a nurse-run clinic, there is no harm in bringing a doctor or two on staff as volunteers, if the opportunity arises. This will allow you advantages such as writing prescriptions, conducting more thorough examinations, etc.

• 5

  Work with a pro bono attorney (or an affordable one if this is not possible) to file for 501(3)c status. When this is confirmed with the IRS, work toward raising funds for your clinic through private and government grants, and special gifts from medical professionals in your community. Have fundraisers put on by those who have a special interest in prenatal and postnatal activity, such as local baby supply stores, preschools, and daycare facilities, and again even local private hospitals who cannot take on the demographic of women you hope to.