Prenatal care is one of

                            Prenatal care is one of the most frequently used preventive careservices in United States. Prenatal care has played and can continue to play animportant role in improving maternal and infant health outcomes 35.Women have identified multiple barriers to obtaining early and adequateprenatal care which show remarkable similarity across geographic, racial andsocioeconomic groups 12.

Clinic staff and providers should developa connection with each woman by providing care that meets her physical,cultural and personal needs 32. Careful study of multiple healthservice models and incorporation of effective interventions can assist inimproving maternal and infant outcomes on a local, national and internationallevel 32. Substance use in pregnancy remains a significant publichealth problem, type and degree of the drug used, as well as the point ofexposure, all influence the effects of drug use in pregnancy, these factorsshould be taken in to account when developing interventions for prenatalsubstance use treatments 26. Regardless of the outcome of thedebates over the future of Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act, millions oflow-income pregnant women that are served by Medicaid will continue to need tohave access to coverage that includes the broad range of pregnancy-relatedservices that help assure positive maternaland infant outcomes 43.