NorthShore Health Centers Introduces Centering Program to Three Locations

NorthShore Health Centers recently rolled out its new Centering Program. The program is based on centering group care, which leans on group care that incorporates a health assessment, interactive learning, and community building.

Under this philosophy, 8-10 patients are brought together for a series of sessions in which they are given time to work one-on-one with their provider for an assessment and learn how to give themselves certain components of an overall health assessment like their own blood pressure or temperature or that of their child. Groups are comprised of a common patient segment. For example, pregnant women, children, adult men, etc.

“So it is much more than just a traditional appointment,” said Jennifer Eades, Director of Patient Advocacy at NorthShore Health Centers. “There are things that you can’t ask your doctor in a 10-15 minute office visit. With our Patient Centering Program, you have a 90-minute allotment of time that you get to spend with your provider and other peers, who are experiencing the same things as you are experiencing.”

Centering group care has particular benefits for pregnant women. Many of these benefits are passed directly to the baby as well. 

“The health outcome research shows that the health outcomes during pregnancy for mom and baby are better,” said Eades. “It reduces low birth rates. It reduces early delivery.”

Many times, the mothers in a given centering program group will keep in touch after the program and form playgroups once their children are born. From this perspective, the program continues to propel the mothers as they support each other through different phases of raising their children.

Eades has been integral to getting the program up and running. She would have loved to have had the opportunity to join a patient centering care group when she had her daughter 22 years ago. 

“I think it’s a great model of care,” Eades said. “My daughter is now an adult, but when I had her, I was new to the area. I would have loved to have had a patient centering care group to lean on for support and community when I knew no one nearby as I was going through this significant new chapter in my life.”

In pediatrics, the benefits of centering group care are also very specific. 

“With kiddos, centering group care has proven good health outcomes,” Eades said. “They stay on task when it comes to their wellness schedules and, if the families choose to vaccinate, they stay on task when it comes to their vaccine schedule. It really just leads to better health outcomes.”

No matter the patient segment, the group support associated with centering group care is evident across all patient segments that partake in this form of care. 

“A lot of our communities really also benefit from that peer support,” said Eades. “A lot of people you know struggle with isolation, depression, and this really brings people together who may not have strong support systems outside of this environment.”

NorthShore Health Centers has rolled its new Centering Program out to three of their locations. These locations include Gary, Chesterton, and East Chicago. 

To learn more about the Centering Program at NorthShore or to make a Centering Program appointment, visit northshorehealth.org/service/centering-pregnancy.