ORLANDO, Fla. – A healthcare organization partners with a central Florida midwife to get results for uninsured and underinsured pregnant women, using an unexpected tool: a bus.
It’s called The midwife bus and it is a one-stop shop for expectant mothers to get the pre- and post-natal care they need. It’s a maternity hospital on wheels with loungers in the waiting room, an exam room with an exam chair, an ultrasound machine, lab work facilities, and more. (Yes, it all fits on the bus.)
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Owner Brooke Schmoe is a licensed midwife with a vision to increase access to prenatal care for those who are uninsured or underinsured.
“Just tear down barriers when there’s no one doing it for these people. It’s not good for the community because these babies may not thrive as well because they are not provided with good care and community resources and they are struggling,” Schmoe said.
Schmoe founded The Midwife Bus in 2018, leaving the maternity hospital where she worked to take her midwifery career to the street. She obtained a 40-foot bloodmobile that was officially retired, then applied for a grant through Orlando health to get the wheels rolling.
“One of the appealing aspects of Brooke’s care is that she wanted to care for the patient before she was born, rather than waiting for the patient to get to the clinic or hospital. Some people are struggling to reach hospitals and clinics and there is a need for this service,” said Suzanne Worthington, President of Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.
With a grant from Orlando Health and donations, Schmoe converted the bus into a mobile maternity hospital. The midwife bus has been serving families in Osceola County since 2020, and is now expanding its services to Orange County’s Holden Heights neighborhood.
The locations where the midwife bus drives are determined by a community needs analysis. Schmoe has an ultrasound technician, a board-certified midwife, and an office manager as part of her staff who advise obstetricians. For patients who are not insured, The Midwife Bus charges based on income so no one is turned away.
Maxime Karman was in the middle of her pregnancy before meeting Schmoe in 2020 and said other maternity hospitals wouldn’t accept her insurance.
“It was really hard for me not to have a midwife to see the baby and I didn’t really know what to do to make myself feel better. It was definitely a journey. Once I found Brooke and the bus, the whole pregnancy flipped and felt like a positive experience,” Karman said. “It gives me hope because realizing how difficult it was to get prenatal care was very discouraging. “
The midwife bus provided maternity care for Karman throughout the remainder of the pregnancy. Karman gave birth to their daughter Zoa.
“For me, it definitely goes way beyond that. she is a hero I think she saves a lot of people and makes things a lot easier for them, and you don’t find that much in the world,” Karman said.
Schmoe said the care she provides is more than just medical.
“An even bigger part of that was just social support. To have people who are good looking on the outside and who come here and bring up things that cause them a lot of stress and talk to them. I like to make sure they’re okay mentally, not just physically, and I’m there for them emotionally,” Schmoe said. “It’s a huge loophole in our system and it’s unfair, but I can also see the downside because the liability for people who can’t pay or who haven’t had care throughout their pregnancy is huge. It’s just a broken system. I’m not trying to completely overhaul the system, just to create a life raft on which I can effect change within my sphere of influence.”
The bus parks every Monday at the Grand Avenue Neighborhood Center at 800 Grand Street, Orlando, FL, 32805.
This is the bus’ fourth location and was methodically chosen to provide patients in the Parramore community with limited or no transportation a better way to get to and from the mobile clinic. With the addition of a new clinician, the expanded services of Schmoe and the Midwife Bus now span two counties, providing essential care to women in multiple communities.
click HERE to make a donation to The Midwife Bus.
The midwife bus only sees all patients by appointment. Patients can make an appointment by calling or visiting 321-354-6844 themidwifebus.org.
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