The Gadsden County Health Department is packed as usual, the majority are mothers waiting with their kids. The crowds are expected to get even bigger though because of a new partnership between Capital Regional Medical Center and TMH Family Practice that will bring OB/GYN physicians back to Gadsden county for the first time since 1988.

"We really have not given our clients the very best that we can offer them, so we're excited to at least have the OB providers preventing our clients from traveling out of the county for services they deserve and need," says Cannella Jefferies, the nursing director for the Gadsden County Health Department.

"Folks can actually come here to the health department in their neighborhood and take advantage of speaking to or seeing a doctor here in their community. It takes a load off if they have questions or if they feel like they have an emergency," says Marlon Hunter, the department's administrator.

Gadsden County has a high rate of infant mortality, low birth rate, teen pregnancies, and repeat teen pregnancies and getting women to see a physician early on in their pregnancies will improve health all around.

"The thing we hate, hate, hate to see is a women showing up very sick at the hospital with a pregnancy-related illness or problem or pre-term labor that, if somebody had just seen her the week before or had been seeing her all along, would have been addressed before it got to this crisis stage," says Dr. Lisa Jernigan.

Those involved with these new services say they hope to establish a relationship with the women right away so they continue to come back for care.

An improved Healthy Start Coalition will go along with increased care for expectant mothers helping with outreach and education.