Southwest South Dakota with its sweeping prairie vistas and ambling river bluffs is a beautiful place to raise a family. But it can be difficult to find care for children and families in a place where the landscape is big, but healthcare options can be small.
For Winnie Medicine, prenatal care at Horizon Health Mission, located in a small town of 1,136 people, helped her receive consistent support from her provider and information that helped her stay healthy until her son was born.
Winnie, her husband Marcus and baby Maverick at Horizon Health Mission. Winnie and Maverick were cared for during Winnie’s pregnancy by Horizon providers.
Winnie grew up in the Spring Creek area near Mission and currently lives there with her husband, Marcus Han Mantchev and their three children, including her youngest infant son Maverick Paul.
Winnie said her experience at Horizon was positive. Consistent, local care gave her peace of mind – even as a third-time mother – that she didn’t feel at other health organizations she visited.
“The providers were professional,” she said. “At Horizon it’s just one doctor through your whole pregnancy.”
Those providers taught Winnie the importance of prenatal vitamins and kept her iron levels from falling too low and making her anemic.
“They’re really good and they talk to you more one on one,” she said.
Winnie said providers explained different procedures such as family planning. She found that in-depth care helpful in easing any nerves or anxiety making decisions about her care might have caused.
She said many of the young mothers she knows fail to get prenatal care because they lack transportation to the clinic or don’t care about their health.
“They don’t think they need the prenatal care but, in the end, they really do,” she said.
Having a health clinic within an hour from her home makes it easier for young mothers like Winnie to get needed care. The closest hospital offering OB/GYN care is in Winner. That option is going to end soon causing mothers to rely even more on healthcare from small, rural clinics like Horizon Health. Without Horizon, prenatal care for mothers like Winnie would be a two-hour drive to seek support.
“There’s not pregnancy care anywhere,” Winnie said. “It’s hard to come by. You must drive a couple of hours away to get prenatal care or have your baby because Winner stopped delivering. It’s kind of scary because some moms might be high-risk, or they need to be watched.”
Dr. Anora Henderson, was an OB/GYN in Winner and visits the clinic in Mission to offer OB/GYN care. Horizon also manages a federal maternal health grant that supports additional OB/GYN patient care specialists and programming to help reduce high risk pregnancies and increase resources for high-risk populations.
Winnie said she recommends prenatal care at Horizon to her friends who are expecting babies.
“If they know there’s something wrong go get seen right away,” Winnie said. “It’s their body they know better than anyone else.”