The Magdalene Clinic is a deeply affirming, collaborative care model for pregnant women with substance use disorders (SUD) in South Carolina. Our providers offer prenatal care, mental health counseling, and peer support for women at any stage of their disease process, all under one roof.
From the very first day of the Magdalene Clinic, our care team agreed that if nothing else, we hoped our patients would leave our office feeling known, cared for, and loved. This commitment informs every conversation we have and decision we make, from small moments (such as offering snacks for patients during their visits and small gifts in every trimester) to larger ones (such as longer patient visits, personal calls from nurses and providers, and the option for mental health visits at home).
The core value of love inspires us to take an all-in-one approach to care, prioritize dignity for our patients above all else, and keep our clinic a judgment-free zone for all who walk through our doors. We are here to help. If you or a loved one is pregnant with SUD, please don't hesitate to contact us.
We would be the first to tell you that you don't have to have a special degree to start a program like Magdalene for your own community. The critical ingredients in our experience appear to be a heart called to making life easier for women with addiction diseases and great community partners. Are you a midwife or obstetrician but don't know much about substance use disorders? Your local or regional treatment facilities do! Or do you know addiction disorders inside and out, but do not provide prenatal care? Your local midwives and obstetricians do! Reach out and schedule a meeting with someone. Collaborative work is easier (and more fun) than you might think.
Part of the Magdalene mission is to help meet the need for collaborative, compassionate care for pregnant women with substance use disorders in any community. To do that, we are committed to sharing our story, our lessons learned, and all of our materials or protocols with anyone who wants to learn more. Contact us at magdaleneclinic@prismahealth.org for information.
At each prenatal visit, patients have the opportunity to meet with any or all of the following: a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician, a women's health Nurse Practitioner, a women's health nurse, a Peer Support Specialist, a licensed professional counselor, and a social worker... Read More
As part of our core values of love and radical transparency, we want to offer expecting mothers with substance use disorders the comfort of dignity in their experience with us. We believe you are worthy of respect and love, and we will show you... Read More
We understand that the stigma of addiction can leave you feeling paralyzed, and may sometimes discourage you from getting the help you want and deserve. At Magdalene Clinic we do not judge you, we are here to help, and we are a safe place to come when... Read More
The Magdalene Clinic was born out of a series of discussions that started in 2016, both with obstetricians who were frustrated that they did not feel well equipped to provide care for patients with substance use disorders (SUD), and with patients, who were frustrated by the burden of separate visits for their SUD and their pregnancy, and by what they experienced as feeling at times shamed, judged, or misunderstood by providers in the prenatal setting. There has to be a better way, we said. What could that look like?
The Magdalene Clinic represents our response to the need we found in our own community for pregnant women with SUD to receive compassionate medical care and social support under one roof. We are a collaborative initiative between Prisma Health-Upstate's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Phoenix Center, and Furman University's Institute for the Advancement of Community Health (IACH), and are housed at the ObGyn Center, South Carolina's largest provider of prenatal care.
At each prenatal visit, patients have the opportunity to meet with any or all of the following: a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician, a women's health Nurse Practitioner, a women's health nurse, a Peer Support Specialist, a licensed professional counselor, and a social worker. The patient stays in one room, and we each come to her. (Because, let's face it: it's nice when something in life is easier than expected). Need to see WIC or the Medicaid office? We've got you covered. Need an interpreter? Yep, we've got those too. If nothing else, our goal is to make navigating this part of your life just a little bit easier.
To date, we have had the deep privilege to provide care for more than 100 women during their pregnancy and postpartum period.
Our patients at the Magdalene Clinic receive a loving space that is safe and non-judgmental to seek prenatal care and treatment for Substance Use and Chronic Pain Disorders prior to or during their pregnancy. Eligible patients will be identified during patient educational visits at the Prisma Health-Upstate OB/GYN Center. Patients can also be referred by other Prisma OB/GYN clinics and practices; any of the Phoenix Center's treatment programs or facilities; and through community sources, including the department of social services, law enforcement, and behavioral health agencies. Patients can also self-identify and request an appointment at the clinic.
Our providers seek to provide radical service through radical love, to create a radical change. At each prenatal visit, patients have the opportunity to meet with any or all of the following providers: a maternal-fetal medicine physician, a women's health nurse practitioner, a women's health nurse, a Peer Support Specialist, a licensed professional counselor, and social workers.