Pregnancy centre giving Hope for Women in Prince George

Sep 12, 2020 | 3:40 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The Hope for Women Pregnancy Services Centre opened in Prince George in the spring. This weekend was its official grand opening and even though it has only been open a few months, the centre has been a huge success.

The centre provides supports for women and others who may need them before, during, and after an unplanned or crisis pregnancy. The Prince George location is just the third in BC and the first outside the Lower Mainland.

“In 2018, Prince George was the largest city in BC that did not have a crisis pregnancy support like this. So we saw this as the next logical step to expand our services,” explained Jared White, Executive Director of Advokate Life and Education Services of the most recent location, following centres in Abbotsford and Langley. “Our goal is to expand to many more cities in BC but Prince George, being the hub of the north especially, seemed like the next logical spot to move to.”

Opening during COVID has made numbers a little tough to judge for the first couple of months, however, Site Manager Chelsea Wood said it has been fairly steady largely due to a centre like this being needed for some time in the city. “There was a pregnancy centre in the past and I think there is a need for one now,” she said.

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Residents of surrounding communities are also able to come to Prince George to utilize the not-for-profit’s services. Anyone coming in will have to fill out some forms and a confidentiality agreement followed by a sit-down to get to know the person who will be laying out potential options moving forward.

“Then we do a self-administered pregnancy test since we are not a medical facility and [the client] will read that for herself. If it’s negative then we discuss that, if it is positive and she is pregnant we talk about what is happening in her emotionally and physically at that time. And we do encourage them to visit their doctor to confirm the pregnancy,” outlined Wood.

Wood encourages anyone who feels they need to reach out to do so and says significant others can join them if they are comfortable doing so.

by Matt Fetinko

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Pregnancy centre giving Hope for Women in Prince George

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