Dar a Luz: a perinatal care program for Hispanic women on the U.S.-Mexico border

In Arizona, undocumented pregnant Hispanic women without private care have no recourse but to enter an emergency room after labor begins. A survey we conducted showed over 150 such "emergency" births annually in Tucson. As a result, a prenatal care program, "Dar a Luz," specifically targeted at this population, was developed. It includes prenatal obstetrical care and anticipatory birthing education that is sensitive to Mexican-American traditions, community consciousness-raising, and a cooperative obstetrical agreement with Tucson hospitals. Bilingual community volunteers act as patient advocates, following these patients through pregnancy and accompanying them to emergency rooms for hospital deliveries. Based in an Hispanic neighborhood community center, professional and lay volunteers provide health care coordinated by medical students in the paracurricular Commitment to Underserved People Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.