A new medical partnership will expand services for both new and expecting parents in Western New York.

The Community Health Center of Buffalo and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center are teaming up to increase early pre-natal care, labor and delivery services, as well as postpartum visits.

It’s an effort to address disparities in the region, especially among Black women. The hope is to create a better transition between types of care.

“So this collaboration, we’re only a mile and a half from each other, so it makes a lot of business sense, but it also makes a lot of community sense,” Dr. Lavonne Ansari, chief executive officer of the Community Health Center of Buffalo, said. “When we work in this community, it should be seamless. It will make a seamless transition from us diagnosing and then us having a collaboration with our partners at Memorial to allow the patient in our community to have safe care very early, comfortably and culturally relevant.”

Starting in August, obstetricians will provide services at the Community Health Center Niagara every other Tuesday during a four-hour session.

A pregnant woman would receive prenatal care there for about 24 to 36 weeks before going to Niagara Fall Memorial for the remainder of the pregnancy for fetal monitoring and ultrasound services.