A small group of women with big hearts decided to respond to a crisis they saw looming in their hometown of Sarasota, Fla., 24 years ago. With a regional headquarters for Planned Parenthood situated in Sarasota, the pull to terminate pregnancies there is strong.
These women were determined to step into this gap with compassion, God’s love, and material support, and Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center was born.
Now approaching its 25th year of serving women, babies, and fathers, Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center (SMPC) serves close to 2,000 new clients annually from a four-county region in Southwest Florida, and more continuing clients throughout the year.
Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center has expanded its services from those early years of offering free diapers and wipes and help finding prenatal care, to now providing five service “pillars”: medical, social service navigation, Earn While You Learn (an educational/reward program), and men’s and couples coaching. Wrap-around services are offered to parents for up to 18 months of care.
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The first stop for expectant mothers is a medical intake visit. Depending upon the stage of a woman’s pregnancy, an ultrasound is offered to date the pregnancy and confirm viability. SMPC owns several 3-D and 4-D machines that produce images that enable abortion-minded and abortion-vulnerable clients to choose life and a future for their unborn children.
Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center offers behavioral health and social services navigation enabling families to thrive.
Christian principles guide decision making throughout Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center. Clients are welcomed with respect in a judgment-free space, offered care, and if they accept, they are introduced to faith along their new parenthood journey. Thousands of women and their partners have turned to Christ or returned to Him during their client time at SMPC.
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Sarasota Memorial Hospital, one of Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center’s partners, refers patients to SMPC for early prenatal care, making SMPC a crucial part of addressing the critical prenatal healthcare need in Southwest Florida.
Clients find Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center through word-of-mouth recommendations and through SMPC’s extensive social media networking.
Additionally, Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center offers post-abortive care.
Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center recognizes how influential the opinion of the father is when deciding the fate of an unplanned pregnancy. To mitigate fears and misunderstanding surrounding an unexpected pregnancy, Men’s Coaches are onsite during all open hours to welcome the father out of the parking lot and into a conversation. Through kindness and empathy, fear evaporates and hearts open to life.
All clients who choose to participate in the myriads of educational opportunities, including fathers, earn redeemable credit to “purchase” material items from the Baby Boutique. Clients can also select healthy free food staples from SMPC’s Food Pantry.
“Just by participating in classes that make me a better and healthier mom, I earn credits to shop in the Baby Boutique, a recent SMPC client shared. “I earned an entire year of diapers & wipes, a Pack n’ Play sleep set, car seat, and lots of brand-new clothing for my son.”
The State of Florida’s Pregnancy Support Network recently awarded Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center a brand-new medical mobile unit so SMPC can take its services into the most abortion-prone neighborhoods.
With Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center what started as a godly desire to serve the most vulnerable in the community - expectant mothers and their tiny unborn babies - has grown into a presence that radiates life and hope.
