Abstract
Background: The "Nascer e Crescer" Clinic addresses critical gaps in primary healthcare access for pregnant women and children without a designated family health team. Based in ULS São José, the clinic provides essential maternal and child healthcare to a vulnerable population, emphasizing quality, safety, and accessibility. This initiative arose from the need for structured healthcare support for underserved communities, ensuring services like prenatal and early childhood monitoring are available to all. The clinic aims to mitigate health risks and improve outcomes for mothers and children within its service area.
Approach: The "Nascer e Crescer" Clinic centralizes care for maternal and child health needs, enhancing service efficiency and patient-centered care. This integrated model includes ongoing health monitoring, participation in structured health programs, and direct referrals for high-risk cases to hospital care. The clinic’s design and implementation were led by a multidisciplinary team of family health doctors, obstetricians, pediatricians, and specialized nurses, ensuring a comprehensive and accessible healthcare environment.
To align services with community needs, the clinic actively engages patients and families in co-design efforts. Recognizing transportation barriers for many patients, the clinic also coordinated with local municipal authorities to explore public transportation solutions, improving access to the clinic. This partnership aims to provide reliable public transport options, helping ensure all patients can reach healthcare services without difficulty.
In the first two months of operation, the clinic processed over 427 referrals — 290 for child health and 137 for maternal health—demonstrating its immediate and meaningful role in connecting patients to critical care resources. This rapid uptake highlights the clinic's effectiveness in meeting community healthcare needs, fostering trust and accessibility.
Results: Early outcomes reflect a substantial positive impact on healthcare accessibility and coverage for pregnant women and children. By consolidating maternal and child health services, the clinic has increased efficiency and quality, offering tailored care and enabling hospital referrals for high-risk cases that previously had limited access. Patient satisfaction has improved, with feedback underscoring the clinic’s essential role in providing reliable and consistent healthcare access.
Additionally, the clinic supports workforce development by providing a training site for resident doctors and nurses, offering practical experience in maternal and child healthcare. This hands-on learning environment prepares healthcare professionals to meet the demands of community-based primary care, with a strong focus on prevention and early intervention.
Implications: The "Nascer e Crescer" model presents a replicable framework for expanding maternal and child healthcare to underserved populations, promoting continuity of care across primary and specialized services. The next steps include extending services to cover children up to six years, broadening the clinic's impact on child and public health outcomes. Furthermore, the clinic’s collaboration with municipal bodies to improve public transport access exemplifies a holistic approach to inclusive healthcare.
Overall, the clinic’s early success illustrates how targeted, accessible healthcare services can significantly reduce disparities for at-risk groups. This model highlights how primary healthcare institutions can implement structured, multidisciplinary programs to support vulnerable populations, improve health outcomes, and establish a foundation for sustainable community health service expansion.