Soon, women in the Fort Dodge area will have another option when seeking medical care and support during pregnancy.

Obria Medical Clinics of Iowa is opening a clinic at 3 N. 17th St., leasing a space in a building shared with the Foot and Ankle Center of Iowa.

“It has all honestly come about pretty quickly,” said Tiffany Paterson, community relations manager for Obria’s Fort Dodge location. “I just feel that when the timing is right, God just makes it all happen.”

Obria already has a clinic in Ames. Previously, Obria has operated from a van that comes to Fort Dodge weekly from Ames to serve women in the area.

-Messenger photo by Deanna Meyer
A mirror with the encouraging message is seen inside one of the exam rooms at Obria Medical Clinics of Iowa's Fort Dodge site.

But based on the need seen locally, Paterson said Obria’s board and steering committee felt a brick-and-mortar site was needed in Fort Dodge.

“As I’m getting to know Fort Dodge better, and staying in touch with different resources around the area, I see that is a need just because of the poverty level and statistics … especially for 19- to 25-year-olds,” said Paterson, who came on board in March. “The research that has been done says that they don’t trust their doctor, or they put off seeing someone because of the cost.”

Obria Medical Clinics offer pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, ultrasounds, well-woman care and parenting support. Paterson said Obria seeks to support women, regardless of their situation.

“We are a life-affirming, Christ-centered reproductive medical clinic, so our niche is kind of that reproductive side of things. We want to walk through the journey of women, once they find out they’re pregnant.”

She said early ultrasounds and pregnancy tests are provided at no cost, while the clinic’s other services are provided at little to no cost. As a nonprofit, these services are made available through Obria’s grants and donors.

“We do accept insurance, and if a patient doesn’t have insurance, we have that sliding (fee) scale,” said Paterson.

The clinic also supports women when pregnancies don’t go as planned.

“We walk people through losses if they have miscarriages,” Paterson said. “We hope to walk them through that journey.”

Education is also a large part of Obria’s services.

“We do a lot of education with women,” she said. “If they are abortion-minded, then they can come in and just get some education on all of the (options).”

She said she feels women often choose abortion because they feel it is the only option, or because they don’t have support.

“So what Obria and Obria’s staff want to do is be that support system,” Paterson said, “to help walk them through that time of finding out what other options there are and letting those women know that they do have a choice, they do have options, they do have a support system.”

Obria also provides parenting classes through its Bright Beginnings program. These online classes are for pregnant women, and mothers and fathers of children under 1 year old, starting as early as when they learn about the pregnancy.

Afterward, Paterson said they’ll be paired up with a coach, who will reach out to them to discuss the class, how the pregnancy’s going and if they have any concerns. She said women don’t need to be an Obria patient to take the classes. Each session completed earns a $15 credit toward supplies for the baby, such as clothes, diapers, wipes and formula.

“It’s just another support system for the parent,” she said.

For now, in addition to Paterson, the Fort Dodge clinic staff includes a receptionist and nurse practitioner, as well as a retired nurse practitioner and retired nurse who are volunteering their time until a full-time nurse can be brought on staff, which Paterson said will be in the near future.

“Our nurse practitioners tend to spend an hour with each patient, so we’re not getting them in and out,” Paterson said. “We really want to be that support system that has their overall well-being in mind, with their spiritual, their physical and their mental health.”

A July 7 open house is planned for the public to come and learn what Obria is all about, with a grand opening slated for August.

Initially, the Fort Dodge clinic will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Paterson said the clinic plans to begin seeing patients immediately after the open house in July.

“I just want people to know our heart. Each of our staff has the heart of compassion toward another person,” she said. “We value all human life. We strive to help people feel accepted and seen and heard.”