In the Yakima Valley, resources are plentiful for teens and low-
income women who find themselves pregnant without a plan. For a
county with the third-highest teen birth rate in the state,
providers say access to information and care during pregnancy is
crucial. But they also say some women still fall through the
cracks. That’s what makes the recent announcement by state and
local public health officials about a sudden spike in a fatal
birth defect in the county last year so troubling to medical
professionals involved in maternal care and prenatal health.
Without adequate health information, women are at higher risk of
missing out on important prenatal and even pre-conception care
that could help avoid such defects. “Because the state will
provide insurance coverage for most low-income women who are
pregnant, almost everybody who needs care can get it. So that’s
a good thing,” said Dr. Anita Showalter, who was an obstetrician
at the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic for four years before
joining the faculty at