Offering FREE Pregnancy, Parenting, and Family Services beginning Sept 13th
The community is invited to an Open House on Wednesday, Aug. 30 from noon – 7 pm at the new Dakota Hope Clinic in Bottineau at 104 11th St W, Suite 2. Tours and refreshments will be provided. According to Nadia Smetana, RN, BSN, Clinic Director, “Minot is a long way to travel if you live in the Bottineau area and are seeking help for an unplanned pregnancy. After more than a year of working with local individuals and organizations, we look forward to opening our second satellite clinic on September 13th.”
For the last ten years, Dakota Hope Clinic of Minot has served as the only Pregnancy Help Center in northwest and northcentral North Dakota. Today, Dakota Hope continues to expand access to free and confidential services that assist women and men facing an unintended or otherwise challenging pregnancy. The first satellite clinic in Tioga opened last year and offers pregnancy testing, limited OB ultrasound, options consultation, prenatal vitamins, abortion pill reversal, and community referral. These same services will be available in Bottineau. As a non-denominational, Christian, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Dakota Hope does not recommend or refer for abortion. Instead, evidence-based information for all pregnancy options is provided in a safe and respectful environment.
Additionally, all sites offer long-term and holistic support throughout pregnancy and for anyone who is parenting an infant or toddler. “Earn while You Learn,” is an incentive education and mentoring program where clients learn about prenatal health, labor and delivery, infant care, parenting skills, relationship building, and life skills such as budgeting and job interviewing. With each completed lesson, clients earn points that can be exchanged for free items from the Baby Boutique, where the inventory includes diapers, wipes, clothing from premie to size 4T and other baby supplies. According to Mandy Crocker, RN, BSN, “Monetary gifts and new infant and toddler items are needed to stock the Boutique in the new clinic and can be donated when you come for the Open House on Aug. 30, or during normal hours of operation.”
Educational and mentoring services are offered through the assistance of background-screened and properly trained volunteers. Medical services and options consultations at the Bottineau Clinic will be provided by Dakota Hope RNs under the leadership of the medical director, Dr. Tyrone Berenston, of Bottineau’s SMP St. Andrews Clinic. Mandy Crocker, Project Manager Nurse, will provide services at the Bottineau Clinic until Dakota Hope hires local staff. Ultrasound services will be provided by Mandy, or another specially trained RN or sonographer, who will travel to Bottineau with a portable ultrasound machine when needed.
Additional free services include support for parents who have received a prenatal diagnosis and for women who have suffered abuse and/or have experienced an abortion and feel emotions of grief or regret. Dakota Hope Clinic also offers Community Programs such as “From Grief to Grace” which will be livestreamed at the Bottineau Theater on Saturday, October 14 and features a panel of ND women who share their personal stories of having had an abortion and found healing. This free event for anyone grade 7 and older starts with an optional light lunch at noon, followed by the program from 1-3 pm.
The Satellite Clinic Project is made possible in part by a Twice-Blessed Grant through the Inspiritus Community Health Foundation. Anyone interested in learning more about and partnering with Dakota Hope is invited to attend the Fundraising Banquet in Bottineau at the Cobblestone Inn on Tuesday, September 19th. Visit www.dakotahope.org/events for more details or call 701-852-4675. RSVP for the banquet is required by Sept. 8. The clinics are entirely supported by donations and do not receive government funds.
To make an appointment or referral for any location call the client line at 701-852-4673. This number is answered 24/7. The Bottineau Clinic will be open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the possibility of appointments on other days as needed. Staff will be available by phone Monday – Friday from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. The mailing address for all clinic sites is 315 Main St. S, Suite 205, Minot, ND, 58701.
From Holly Brekhus, Executive Officer of First District Health Unit, “We welcome a satellite clinic in Bottineau. Dakota Hope has a great reputation for serving the people in need as well as working collaboratively with other organizations.”
