{"id":291789,"date":"2023-05-25T18:46:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T23:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=291789"},"modified":"2023-05-24T17:49:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T22:49:01","slug":"wyoming-pregnancy-center-second-location","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/wyoming-pregnancy-center-second-location\/","title":{"rendered":"Wyoming pregnancy center opens second location near abortion facility"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>) — When out-of-state activists announced plans to open an abortion facility<\/a>\u00a0in Casper, Wyo., the board members and staff of the local pro-life pregnancy medical center pondered options for a greater presence in the community. Those thoughts became reality earlier this month.<\/p>\n

The Wellspring Health Access abortion facility\u00a0opened its doors<\/a>\u00a0in April, and\u00a0True Care Women\u2019s Resource Center<\/a>\u00a0moved into a second location close to the abortion center a few weeks later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe jumped into action because we had already talked through things,\u201d said True Care CEO Jessica Baxter. \u201cWe had a sketch of a plan in our heads, and so we just started looking, and that’s where this location came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wellspring\u00a0filed a lawsuit<\/a> earlier this year seeking to block a law banning chemical abortion in Wyoming along with another broader ban after state legislators passed the pro-life laws in 2022 and 2023. The abortion center is located on Second Street, a main artery through Casper.<\/p>\n

Although True Care\u2019s first idea of another location, on Third Street, was nearby, that option fell through within five days of inquiry. The new location, a building vacant since last fall, is also located on Second Street, about two blocks from the abortion facility.<\/p>\n

When one door closes, don\u2019t think God is not moving, Baxter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis location is a testament to God’s direction and the fact that God prepares in advance for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked with the leasing agent for the first location on a Thursday, and we had our board meeting the next Monday night, and the board was saying, \u2018Yes, let\u2019s move ahead on this second location,\u2019\u201d Baxter recalled.<\/p>\n

Then Tuesday morning Baxter called the leasing agent, who informed Baxter that both offices had been rented in the previous five days.<\/p>\n

\"pregnancy

Volunteers Encarnita Olson (left) and husband Jim assemble chairs at the soon-to-open second True Care location. \u00a9Gayle Irwin<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI just couldn’t believe it \u2013 I was stunned,\u201d Baxter told Pregnancy Help News. \u201cBut also, kind of questioning, \u2018What are we were going to do, God? We know you have something for us, but this seemed like the perfect location.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Baxter and her family were amid selling their home and she decided to contact her realtor to see if he knew of other potential properties.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Actually, just this morning, something came across my desk, and I thought of you guys,\u2019\u201d Baxter said.<\/p>\n

He then sent Baxter the location.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was literally two blocks from the abortion clinic [on the same street],\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

There is a parking lot in the back from the alleyway, which is exactly where True Care\u2019s sidewalk advocates would be, said Baxter, back behind that abortion center, because its entrance is from the alley.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful building, completely re-done, and the location was perfect!\u201d Baxter said.<\/p>\n

When researching last year about a possible second location, Baxter said she learned being near an abortion clinic was critical. Currently, True Care is about a 10-minute drive from the facility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were told that was too far,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that really comes back to us over and over again is that we are being proactive about helping these women, providing them with love,\u201d Baxter continued. \u201cAnd to do that, we want to meet them where they are. And where they are is feeling this is their best or only option \u2013 to go to the abortion clinic \u2013 and if that’s where they’re going to be, that’s where we’re going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sidewalk advocates<\/h4>\n

To meet women where they are, in addition to adding a second location, True Care also teamed up with\u00a0Sidewalk Advocates for Life<\/a>\u00a0and began training volunteers earlier this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur program leader and myself and another supervisor in the organization are trained,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cThe group will be led by one of our staff members. She’ll be the program leader, but the folks actually out on the sidewalk, or in our case the alleyway, will be all volunteers from the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baxter said she reached out to \u201cpartner churches\u201d to search for volunteer sidewalk advocates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some churches that have asked us to come present and\/or have a table at their Sunday service so that folks can pick up information,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The training takes part of a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a six-hour, video-based training, and it’s all directly from Sidewalk Advocates for Life,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cThere’s care, custody, and control of quality of the message, made up of several different modules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Walgreens<\/a><\/p>\n

Participants answer questions and talk about how each of those applies to their particular situation, she said. For instance, True Care isn\u2019t on a sidewalk but an alleyway, and doesn’t have a driveway, but they have a parking lot, the logistics behind those kinds of things. There always must be two advocates on-site for safety.<\/p>\n

True Care plans more sidewalk advocate training during the next few months. The goal is to have at least 50 people serve as advocates, Baxter said.<\/p>\n

True Care became a medical pregnancy resource center about 17 years ago and has occupied a location on Poplar Street, another main artery, since then. That location will remain for scheduled appointments, Baxter said, and the Second Street location will serve walk-ins brought by the sidewalk advocates.<\/p>\n

Staff and volunteers step up<\/h4>\n

Baxter plans to align hours of operation at the second location with those of the abortion center, which, she said is two days a week, eight hours a day. A financial campaign has begun to fund the added expense of starting and operating the second True Care location for the rest of year, Baxter said, and the response has been positive.<\/p>\n

True Care added a receptionist and an advocate. The nursing staff stepped up to fill in the additional hours, with the four of them rotating between the primary location and the new center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nurses felt that they all could take a few more hours, rearrange some of their schedules, and then they could fill what we needed for now,\u201d Baxter said. \u201cIt does take a long time to hire and train a nurse in limited obstetrical ultrasound.\u201d<\/p>\n

From scouring for furniture deals to staff members taking on new responsibilities and putting in extra time, Baxter said the endeavor to open a second location in about 30 days \u201chas been a team effort.\u201d Volunteers showed up the evening of May 4 to move furniture and supplies, including the ultrasound equipment. The goal is to open near the abortion facility on May 18.<\/p>\n

Making an impact<\/h4>\n

Baxter, who calls herself \u201ca data geek,\u201d learned a pregnancy center near an abortion center can make a big difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can impact an abortion clinic\u2019s business by just 10 to 15 percent, you can possibly put them out of business,\u201d she said. \u201cThat’s how dependent they are on the abortion funds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deterring even one out of 10 girls can drastically impact the abortion center\u2019s business, Baxter explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf just one out of ten women doesn’t go to the abortion clinic, it could possibly put them out of business,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, that advocate presence is literally priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prayer is also priceless \u2013 and necessary.<\/p>\n

\u00a0