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December 10, 2018 20:06
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December 5, 2018 18:44
Real Alternatives’ Three-Part Vendor Service Provider Monitoring
Real Alternatives
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Real Alternatives has helped hundred of thousands of women battle with crises involving pregnancy, sexual health, and parenting. Real Alternatives coordinates with a network of service providers in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to ensure that they possess all the requirements, training, and experience to handle pro-life missions in their respective communities.
In addition to the preliminary evaluation necessary to sign on service providers, Real Alternatives also exercises an annual monitoring process which consists of three steps: corporate administration and program profile review; facility inspection; and reimbursement compliance review.
During the corporate administration and program profile review, Real Alternatives looks over all the outlined policies that the service providers agreed to since joining the program. The policies cover all areas pertaining to adoption, anti-discrimination, client confidentiality, English proficiency, sexual harassment, and spiritual issues. At the same time, Real Alternatives goes through a service provider’s training plan and materials, corporate documents, client services, and client-referral sources.
The facility inspection includes an assessment of both the physical site (counseling areas, waiting area, fire safety equipment, and provisions for disabled people), service website, and all the updated state background checks and clearances necessary to operate in the area.
The last step of the annual monitoring is the reimbursement compliance review, which involves spot-checking of the client files to ensure the accuracy of billing. Real Alternatives reimburses service providers with a fee based on the type of counseling, class, or mentoring that has been delivered to clients.
November 28, 2018 14:47
Real Alternatives Supports Women from Pregnancy to Post Childbirth
Real Alternatives
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Since being established in 1996, Real Alternatives has helped over 300,000 women in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan. Real Alternatives’ Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program promotes childbirth in place of abortion and offers assistance not only during pregnancy but also after birth.
US citizens living in the three states who are pregnant are eligible to receive assistance. Expectant mothers are given access to education, mentoring, counseling, and classes that cover essential areas of parenting, such as breast-feeding, child care, nutrition, financial accountability, and many others.
Once the child is born, Real Alternatives extends its support to new moms by referring them to service providers that can supply food, baby clothing and furniture, medical care, temporary housing, and financial assistance. All expenses are covered, so that the mother can continue rearing her child with less burden and emotional stress. The support continues should the mother decide to go back to school or apply for a job.
November 19, 2018 13:18
Early Signs of Pregnancy Range from Physical to Emotional
Real Alternatives
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At Real Alternatives, trained counselors and staff understand that an unplanned or crisis pregnancy can present a woman with the most challenging circumstances of her life. The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit organization provides free, nonjudgmental counseling, parenting classes, and other services to women in three states in an effort to provide Real Alternatives to abortion.
Although the early signs of pregnancy can go undetected, there is a group of common symptoms indicating a woman may be pregnant.
A missed period is often the first signal that causes a woman concern about whether or not she is pregnant.
Morning sickness, the feeling of nausea that more than half of all women experience during their first trimester, can begin at about the sixth week of pregnancy. The nausea is often accompanied by vomiting. Morning sickness is actually misnamed, since it can occur at any time of day.
Tiredness and mood swings are also common early in pregnancy. This is due to the major hormonal changes taking place in the woman’s body that can exacerbate emotional reactions.
Tender or sore breasts are another early pregnancy symptom, as are increased visibility of the veins in the breasts and a darkening of the nipples.
Additional symptoms include more frequent urination, body temperature changes, elevated blood pressure, bloating, and breakouts.
While these symptoms can be stressful, they are not typically dangerous. An exception is when repeated vomiting results in malnutrition or an electrolyte imbalance.
Any woman who suspects she may be pregnant should reach out for medical care and, if she finds herself in distress, for compassionate counseling.
November 19, 2018 13:09
Blogger
Real Alternatives Encourages Fathers in the Support Network
With offices in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan, Real Alternatives partners with state social service agencies to provide free counseling and support to women experiencing unexpected pregnancies. Real Alternatives has worked since the 1990s to offer a commodity often in short supply - compassionate, warm, personalized care delivered without judgment and with the goal of helping women choose life and become self-sufficient for the benefit of themselves and their babies.
The organization also encourages family members and loved ones of the woman experiencing the unexpected pregnancy to provide emotional and physical support to her. Among other things, it provides information on its website about how to better support a friend, daughter, or girlfriend as she struggles to cope with an unplanned pregnancy.
Information directed to male partners focuses on providing the same type of nonjudgmental advice that will help them to be better listeners and active participants in their girlfriends’ and children’s lives.
The biological father of the pre-born baby can be a much-needed anchor during this stressful time in his girlfriend’s life by simply allowing her to talk, helping her with practical needs such as rides to prenatal appointments, and participating in financial planning during the pregnancy and for the baby’s ongoing needs.
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November 13, 2018 15:02
Beautiful Beginnings Helps Pregnant Women
Real Alternatives
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A Pennsylvania-based pregnancy support organization, Real Alternatives has served thousands of women through its pregnancy resource centers. Real Alternatives recently named Catholic Social Services as its Pennsylvania Service Provider of the Year for the fifth consecutive year. The annual honor recognizes the group that has assisted the highest number of pregnant women in the state.
As part of its service to women with unplanned or crisis pregnancies, Catholic Social Services operates Beautiful Beginnings, a program that has brought mobile pregnancy support services to women in Philadelphia and nearby counties. The program also focuses on supporting those becoming parents for the first time.
Beautiful Beginnings provides these new parents with resources ranging from seminars and workshops on parenting to free diapers. Parents can also take advantage of the program’s counseling services and make connections with other parents through events such as Parent Cafes.
For more information about Beautiful Beginnings and other programs offered by Catholic Social Services to support new mothers and fathers, visit cssphiladelphia.org/prenatal-and-parenting-programs/.
November 9, 2018 00:12
Pennsylvania Alternatives to Abortion Provides Essential Support
Real Alternatives
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Real Alternatives provides options to women in unexpected pregnancies, along with support throughout the first year of their babies’ lives. In Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives has achieved a significant decrease in abortion rates through the state’s Alternatives to Abortion Program.
Created to provide women facing unplanned pregnancies with free life-affirming support services, Pennsylvania Alternatives to Abortion encompasses 89 centers throughout the state. These centers provide women with free pregnancy test kits, references to agencies that provide everything from food to medical care and financial assistance, counseling, classes on birth and parenting, and other services.
Most importantly, centers funded by the program offer support from people who care. A national poll indicated that over 80 percent of women who chose abortion would have made a different choice with support from even a single person. Experienced counselors at these pregnancy centers become that person for any woman who wants to choose life for her baby.
November 8, 2018 23:55
Blogger
Real Alternatives Serves Women in Indiana
Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives provides women with pregnancy support, as well as a diverse range of reproductive health services, information about adoption, and parenting assistance. Several states, including Indiana, have entered into contracts with Real Alternatives to fund centers that provide these services.
In 2015, then-governor Mike Pence declared that Indiana would support Real Alternatives in establishing 16 women's health centers to provide counseling for issues ranging from emotional and physical abuse to breastfeeding and child care. The contract, which stipulated $2.25 million in funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, ensured that thousands of women would receive counseling and support throughout their pregnancies and for the first year of their children's lives.
Prior to the announcement of the contract, the organization had already completed a year-long trial program in the state. During that time, it assisted more than 8,400 individuals at a cost of only $1 million to the Indiana State Department of Health, helping those feeling hopeless to find healing and support.
November 4, 2018 19:57
Four Tips for Coping with An Unplanned Pregnancy
Real Alternatives
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An unplanned pregnancy can lead to stress and uncertainty; you may feel overwhelmed by the decisions you need to make and worry about the future. Taking the time to find healthy ways to cope with these emotions can help to build up your confidence and prepare you for this major change in your life. Here are four tips for coping with an unplanned pregnancy.
1. Seek support. Support from friends and family members will make it easier to cope with your pregnancy. Surround yourself with positive people, and avoid those who judge or criticize. You may find it helpful to meet with other women who are also learning to cope with an unintended pregnancy. It is beneficial to have a support network.
2. Look for resources. Many organizations provide resources for pregnant women who need help in continuing their education, affording life necessities, and preparing for parenting. Consult local nonprofit pro-life groups or blogs devoted to providing resources and information on pre-natal care and parenting. Some government-sponsored programs also offer resources and information.
3. Stay positive. You may feel apprehensive and worry about your ability to parent. Focusing on positive thoughts can help combat these misgivings and ease the stress of uncertainty. For example, try to imagine the joy of watching your child grow up, or watching him or her experience life’s firsts.
4. Don’t give up on your dreams. Refrain from equating motherhood with giving up on your dreams for the future. It may take you longer to achieve those dreams. There are resources available to assist and support you in completing your education, obtaining employment, reaching your goals and finding your dreams.
October 29, 2018 15:26
Blogger
Babies in the Womb Respond to the Outside World
Since the 1990s, Pennsylvania-based Real Alternatives has served as a resource for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. The nonprofit, now a government social service partner provider in three states, offers free counseling sessions, referrals for adoption, and a full year of support for mothers who choose to raise their babies. Due to Real Alternatives’ compassionate, caring approach, women have learned that they are not alone as they struggle against pressures to abort their babies.
Research has shown the extraordinary responsiveness of unborn babies to outside stimuli, and even to their mothers’ moods. These developing human beings are far from passive inhabitants of the womb.
As soon as the eighth week after conception, a baby has developed a sense of touch. Ultrasounds have shown that by 11 weeks, many unborn babies have begun to explore their own worlds by putting a hand to their mouths, or even by “walking” up the inside of the amniotic sac.
Unborn babies also display definite reactions to their mothers’ movements, often turning over in the womb, or striking back with an arm, in response to a touch from outside.
Multiple studies have demonstrated that emotion-triggered chemicals released into a mother’s bloodstream are transmitted to her unborn baby. Ultrasounds have also shown that when their mothers laugh, babies in the womb may respond with enthusiastic bouncing movements, and when their mothers are sad, they tend to become more quiescent.
October 29, 2018 15:21
The Creation of Ultrasound Technology
Ultrasound Technology
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Dedicated to assisting women throughout Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana who are experiencing crisis pregnancies, Real Alternatives provides much-needed counseling, material support, and parenting education to its clients, free of charge. Real Alternatives additionally supplies information designed to educate the public about the medical risks of abortion, and about the scientific basis for a life-affirming point of view.
Ultrasound technology, invented more than half a century ago, has become more and more accurate at delineating the development of babies before birth. The technique uses high-frequency sound waves, harmlessly bounced back from the physical body of the unborn child, to create black-and-white images of their subject.
In Glasgow, Scotland, Tom Brown, Ian Donald, and John McVicar worked together to create the first clinical uses for ultrasound technology, which they debuted in 1956. Brown was an engineer, Donald an obstetrician, and McVicar a gynecological registrar. They grounded their technology in a previous system used to pinpoint flaws in the design of naval vessels. In fact, Donald gained his early observations on the capabilities of echo-sounding technologies from his experiences in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Donald and his coauthors published an article on their work in a 1958 issue of the journal The Lancet. “Investigation of Abdominal Masses by Pulsed Ultrasound” offered the first ultrasound images showing fetal development, and went on to achieve landmark status in the medical profession.
October 22, 2018 13:57
The Value of Compassionate Crisis Pregnancy Counseling
Real Alternatives
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As a partner to government social service agencies in three Midwestern states, Pennsylvania-based Real Alternatives provides women with free, nonjudgmental counseling, referrals, and information on alternatives to abortion. The nonprofit works from a core value of compassion for every woman who seeks its services. Its toll-free number, 1-888-LIFE-AID, connects women experiencing crisis pregnancies with trained counselors who have either undergone crisis pregnancies themselves or assisted others in the same circumstances.
Experts in the field of counseling note that emotional intelligence – and the empathy and compassion that tend to come with it – is an essential trait for any counselor to develop. Counselors who demonstrate compassion and empathy enable clients to tell their own stories, going the extra mile to share and affirm their feelings at every step along the way. The counselors’ responsiveness enables them to form a strong connection with their clients, who feel heard and respected. As a result, the counselors pave the way for the women to make decisions in their own best interests.
October 22, 2018 13:46
Blogger
How Ultrasound Technology Has Transformed Discussions of Abortion
A nonprofit organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Real Alternatives has helped hundreds of thousands of women through a compassionate approach that makes it easier to choose life over abortion. Now an official partner with government social services agencies in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan, Real Alternatives also offers extensive information on the development of babies in utero as a resource for women contemplating abortion.
Ultrasounds, now a staple of prenatal medical care, provide detailed views of the development of an unborn child. In fact, the precision of ultrasound technology played a significant role in increasing public support for the pro-life viewpoint, as it enabled a new generation to see that unborn babies possess the physical characteristics of full human beings. As such, science has transformed the public conversation about abortion.
For example, in its 1973 decision on abortion, the US Supreme Court relied on then-current medical thinking that an unborn child stood a chance of achieving viability outside the womb at 28 weeks. Today’s advances have moved that figure closer to only 22 weeks.
A range of recent surveys show the influence of ultrasound technology on the public’s views on abortion. One of these, produced by the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, reported that almost 80 percent of women surveyed chose to have their babies after viewing an ultrasound photograph of their child in the womb.
October 17, 2018 00:48
Real Alternatives’ History of Offering Help and Hope
Real Alternatives
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Since the 1990s, the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Real Alternatives has offered free counseling and pregnancy-related services, as well as information designed to help women understand alternatives to abortion. The organization’s history parallels that of government-financed alternatives to abortion in the state, with Pennsylvania’s 1993-1995 budget specifically marked to fund such measures.
Originally known as the Morning Star Project WIN Advisory Council, Real Alternatives received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (now the Department of Human Services) in 1997 to provide its pregnancy and parenting services programs across the state. That year also saw the start of a toll-free crisis hotline that helped to reach larger numbers of women. Demand for the organization’s services rose, and it was soon working with more than 600 new clients every month.
State officials then increased the budgeted amount for the organization’s programs to more than $3 million annually for fiscal year 1997-1999. Over the course of that period, well over 15,000 women took advantage of the group’s programs.
In 2001, Pennsylvania’s governor authorized $1 million in federal funding for the organization’s services through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Three years later, Real Alternatives earned the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations’ Seal of Excellence.
In 2013 and 2014, respectively, Michigan and Indiana established similar partnerships with the group, which has assisted over 300,000 women to date.
October 17, 2018 00:21
Blogger
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Are on the Rise
Real Alternatives serves women in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan through a network of crisis pregnancy centers that provide free counseling, adoption information and referrals, and ongoing material support for the first year of a baby’s life. In addition, the nonprofit offers resources on sexual health, including how to identify and prevent sexually transmitted diseases.
The number of people affected by sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, has risen in recent years. The National Institutes of Health has differentiated some two dozen STDs to date and estimates that they infect close to 20 million people annually.
Individuals of any age or social background can contract STDs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young adults between 15 and 24 years of age, as well as pregnant women, are among the groups most at risk for common STDs such as gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Many women do not know they have contracted an STD, because they may remain symptom-free, yet the complications women experience are typically more severe than those experienced by men.
A major reason for the increase in the number of STD cases is that sexually active individuals today often have a greater number of partners over their lifetime. The CDC points out that the most effective means of avoiding STDs are abstention from sharing needles and abstention from sex outside of a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship.
October 14, 2018 18:36
Blogger
Real Alternatives Supports Pregnant Women and Lowers Medical Costs
Pregnancy centers can be a lifeline for women who feel pressured to have abortions. When a woman calls or visits a pregnancy center, she will find trained, compassionate counselors on hand who will talk with her about her emotions and circumstances and assist her throughout her pregnancy.
Real Alternatives administers pregnancy support and parenting programs at more than 135+ pregnancy support centers, social service agencies and maternity homes in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan. At these centers, caring counselors provide individual support for clients, who also receive everything from maternity clothes to day-care referrals depending on their needs.
The state’s investment in Real Alternatives has paid off. The program saves the state money in medical and societal costs, as women under the care of these centers are more likely to get regular prenatal care and have a decreased risk of low-birth-weight babies. Clients also are more likely to vaccinate their children on schedule.
As a result, many states are modeling outreach programs after those of pregnancy support centers that partner with Real Alternatives. That means more women are receiving support and counseling during their pregnancies and for up to a year after the child is born.
October 14, 2018 18:27
Polls Show Many Americans Support Life-Affirming Services
Real Alternatives
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A January 2018 Marist Poll found that 56% of Americans consider abortion to be morally wrong. According to the Marist Poll, more Americans than not (more than 20%) think that abortion does a woman more harm than good, in the long run. A 2018 Gallup poll found that 48 percent of Americans believe that abortion is morally wrong; a 2017 Pew poll found that 44 percent of Americans believe having an abortion is morally wrong.
The thoughts and beliefs reflected in these polls, as well as modern medical advances that make it difficult to deny the humanity of an unborn child, have been consistently moving in support of life. Women are seeking life-affirming options and more and more women are choosing not to abort. Fourteen states in America now fund programs to provide alternatives to abortion to women in unexpected pregnancies. Women in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan in need of pregnancy support can call Real Alternatives at 1-888-LIFE-AID.
October 9, 2018 12:22
Blogger
Advice for Women Pressured to Have an Abortion
Real Alternatives has assisted upward of 300,000 women with crisis pregnancy services. The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit partners with government social service agencies in three states to deliver the help that can make all the difference in a woman’s choice to keep her baby.
Real Alternatives wants to be sure this message goes out to women in crisis: It is against the law to force any woman to undergo an abortion. No one, not the baby’s father, and not even her own parents if she is a minor, can make that decision for her. No doctor is permitted to perform an abortion without the individual woman’s informed consent; to do so means risking loss of his or her medical license.
Women unwilling to go through with an abortion should tell every staff member that they have not agreed to the procedure. If a physician attempts to perform the procedure, the woman - even if she is not yet 18 - has the right to say no. She can additionally tell the physician that she intends to file a lawsuit should she be forced into an abortion.
Trained, empathetic counselors are available at 1-888-LIFE-AID at any time of the day or night, to help women understand their rights and options, and to connect them with financial and social service support.
October 9, 2018 11:58
Monogamy, Abstinence Can Keep You Safe from STDs
Real Alternatives
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Almost 20 million Americans are affected by an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) annually, according to the National Institutes of Health, and the number is rising, as more people engage in a risky sexual lifestyle by having more sexual partners over the course of their lives.
STDs often do not present symptoms, making it especially important for people who are sexually active and who have multiple partners to get tested regularly. Women, in particular, are less likely to experience symptoms. If left untreated, STDs can be passed to sexual partners and develop into serious health conditions such as AIDS. Medical professionals can treat many STDs effectively if they are detected early.
Behaviors such as sharing needles and living a risky sexual lifestyle can lead to the transmission of STDs. The only 100% way to ensure that you do not contract an STD is by abstaining from sex and/or by committing to a relationship where both partners are monogamous (choose one mate for life) and do not have an STD.
If you are sexually active and not in a monogamous relationship, you can still reduce your risk of getting sexually transmitted infections. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends reducing the number of sex partners and to get tested immediately for STIs.
If you are concerned about whether you have an STD, call 1-888-LIFE-AID to speak with a counselor who can provide more information and a referral for confidential testing. To find a STD testing center near you, go to https://gettested.cdc.gov/.
October 2, 2018 16:50
Blogger
Pregnancy Support Centers Dedicated to Helping Women
Committed to helping women to find life-affirming alternatives to abortion, Real Alternatives possesses a network of pregnancy support centers designed to help women during and after their pregnancies. Real Alternatives' experienced counselors provide new and expectant mothers with kind and compassionate care.
At the centers, women have access to parenting, pregnancy, and childbirth classes. Providing confidential counseling and mentoring services, Real Alternatives furnishes mothers with vital items such as food, furniture, and baby and maternity clothing. Moreover, the counselors supply adoption information and encourage women to obtain well baby and prenatal check-ups during and after their pregnancies. The counselors also help mothers to make career and educational decisions.
Offering women access to free pregnancy self-test kits and assistance in locating temporary shelter, the pregnancy support centers also give referrals to community agencies.
A nonprofit organization, Real Alternatives operates a network of 144 centers in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. For more information, call 1-888-LIFE-AID.
Real Alternatives
Image: realalternatives.org
The nonprofit organization Real Alternatives provides life-affirming support services to women experiencing unexpected pregnancy. For women who feel pressured by their families, doctors, partners, or friends to have an abortion, Real Alternatives provides guidance in addressing the situation.
Importantly, women should not sign any document that serves as an agreement to have an abortion, or any certification that acknowledges such an agreement. It is unlawful for anyone to force women into signing a document or submitting to a medical procedure. If a doctor chooses to ignore your explicit refusal, you have the right to report him or her to the county courthouse and make a formal complaint.
If your family threatens to withdraw financial support, the state has the means to provide assistance with housing and finances during and after pregnancy. The state will also hold the father liable to support the child regardless of his inclination toward abortion.
For compassionate, nonjudgmental counseling and assistance, call Real Alternatives at (888) LIFE AID or visit www.realalternatives.org.