Bridgehaven Pregnancy Support Center

Client Support/Earn While You Learn Program: Clients who are pregnant or have children (up to 18 years of age) in the home can sign up for classes at Bridgehaven. Clients meet with the Director of Client Support to review class options, discuss family support, and identify community resources that would be helpful in their family's health. Classes cover four areas of life: parenting, relationships, life skills and spiritual growth. Each week the client is invited to attend class and shop for material food and baby items (diapers, wipes, and formula) at Bridgehaven. A $4 voucher is provided to Treasures Quality Resale Shoppe for more material shopping. Yearly benefits based on attendance and participation include: school supplies, Easter and Christmas meat vouchers, winter coat distribution and Christmas Room for gifts. Clients who complete all 8 weeks of the prenatal class qualify for a new crib or car seat.

Client Advocacy/Medical: Bridgehaven provides free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to clients. Clients meet with trained advocates to discuss all options and then administer a pregnancy test under the supervision of our trained staff and volunteers. If they bring support people with them, they are welcome to be part of the testing. The basis of this consultation is to provide medically accurate information to our clients about all their options, including referrals to adoption agencies within our community. Bridgehaven provides free ultrasounds for clients who come to the center with confirmed pregnancies that are estimated to be at least seven weeks. Our medical department is overseen by our medical director, a doctor who both reviews scans and provides exams for clients. We have a full-time nurse manager and two volunteers who also complete ultrasound exams. That appointment begins with medical history discussion and then support people are invited in for the actual scan. Sometimes, our clients do not have primary care providers so this appointment is often "gap care". We provide a limited ultrasound exam and check for three things: placement in the uterus, heartbeat to ensure the pregnancy is viable and size to determine a due date. Once those things are confirmed, we can offer clients medically accurate information and answer their questions, as well as recommend clinics for prenatal care. Clients leave with a list of resources in the community and we provide prenatal vitamins if that is a need. We provide information on smoking cessation and other materials about healthy pregnancy. Our Take Heart program offers support and connections to resources for those facing miscarriage, life-limiting prenatal diagnoses, and infant loss. Our Take Courage program offers abortion recovery support for anyone who has been impacted by an abortion decision in their past. The program is either a weekend retreat in a group setting, or one-on-one support facilitated by a trained advocate who has also experienced an abortion in their past.

Health & Relationship Education & Outreach: The mission of our department is to promote risk avoidance messages that encourage optimal health for all people. We believe that all youth deserve a happy and healthy future. We want children and young adults to reach optimal living, have strong relationships, and avoid risk behaviors that may lead to unhealthy consequences. Our curriculum educates students about the benefits of healthy relationships, wise decision making, delaying sexual activity, and shows students how to care for their physical, social, emotional, and intellectual (whole person) health. Bridgehaven's health and relationship education is passionate about seeing young people thrive. We present students in our community with research and evidence-based reasons to strive for high standards of living. When encouraged to reach high expectations and equipped with tools to get them there, young adults can thrive. Our philosophy for preventing unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and emotional trauma, is not merely reducing the possibility, but rather eliminating the risk. Our Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) programming offers hope for all people, regardless of their past sexual experiences and encourages participants to seek out the best, healthiest habits and behaviors for their lives. Our message is always one of hope. Our team focuses on trauma-informed approaches that leave shame and guilt of past experiences in the rearview. We aim to focus on character building while also reinforcing attributes of healthy relationships, encouraging positive communication skills, and building an understanding of what real love looks like in dating and marriage relationships.