For immediate release

Women’s Health & Resource Center offers no-cost reproductive health services through Wisconsin Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program

The Women’s Health & Resource Center (WHRC), Community Health Network’s non-profit women’s health clinic at 270 E. Marquette Street in Berlin, is one of many statewide clinics administering the state of Wisconsin’s new Family Planning Waiver Program.

Implemented on January 1^st, the Family Planning Waiver Program’s (FPWP) objectives are to help low-income women gain access to family planning and other healthcare services, reduce the number of uninsured individuals, and create a healthier Wisconsin.

The program provides qualified patients with services that include comprehensive routine reproductive health exams; birth control supplies; pregnancy testing and counseling; emergency contraception; and education and information including Natural Family Planning.

“The Family Planning Waiver Program really helps bridge the financial gap between medical assistance and private health insurance,” said Vicki Martinek, WHRC’s Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. “Women who perhaps make too much money to qualify for medical assistance, but not enough to afford private health insurance can qualify for no-cost services through the program.”

In order to qualify for the program, a patient must meet the following criteria:

· Be a female between the ages of 15 and 44 years old

· Be a US citizen and resident of Wisconsin

· Does not receive Wisconsin Medicaid, BadgerCare or Healthy Start

· Annual household income doesn’t exceed $16,391 for a single or $22,089 for couple

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“With the number of teen pregnancy cases and sexually transmitted diseases rising, women’s health services need to be widespread and available to everyone,” Martinek said. “Our mission is to reach out to women in our area so they are aware that low- or no-cost reproductive health services are available in a confidential setting that is close to home.”

To apply for the FPWP at WHRC, a woman may schedule and appointment with Martinek, during which time, if qualified, she will obtain Presumptive Eligibility for the program and be able to receive medical services that same day. The Presumptive Eligibility will carry over for three months during which she will apply for continuous coverage under the program for up to 12 months. The patient can reapply after the 12 months of eligibility is exhausted.

The WHRC, which is served by Martinek, Shawn Ekstrom, MD, Medical Director, Jeanne Ross, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Renee Campion, Certified Medical Assistant, provides routine pap smears, breast exams, birth control education and supplies, and pregnancy testing.

In addition to those routine services, the clinic performs more advanced procedures, such as colposcopies and punch biopsies to assess abnormal pap smears and detect more serious diseases. With earlier detection rates, any abnormalities can be treated right at WHRC, or referred on to a gynecologist. The clinic does not perform or endorse abortions, but rather encourages patients to select other pregnancy options best suited to their situation.

A graduate of the Nursing Program at Milwaukee Technical College, Martinek completed her nurse practitioner internship at the Fox Valley OB-Gyn Associates in Appleton. She is certified by the National Certification of Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing Specialties Board.

To schedule an appointment or inquire about the Wisconsin Medicaid Family Planning Waiver Program, call the Women’s Health & Resource Center at (920)361-5727 or toll-free at 1-800-236-1283 ext 5727.