Clark County Board of Health adopts resolution to expand prenatal access for Medicaid clients

The Clark County Board of Health on Sept. 24 adopted a resolution committing the county to address persistent gaps in prenatal access for Medicaid (Apple Health) clients and to develop a work plan for local and legislative action. The board passed Resolution 2025-09-09 by voice vote; the motion was seconded and the chair announced the motion carried.

Kaylee Pickus, family initiatives coordinator with Clark County Public Health, told the board the resolution and associated work plan grew from data and community meetings held after local WIC partners alerted the county to access gaps. Pickus said the board asked staff to translate findings from a policy summit and a provider scan into concrete priorities and a legislative agenda.

Dr. Alfred Seacamp, an OB-GYN and chief medical officer at Vancouver Clinic, described the local delivery system and the access problem. “We deliver about 2,000 babies in Clark County every year. About 600 of those are Medicaid patients,” Seacamp said. He said Vancouver Clinic employs about 20 OB-GYN physicians and 20 midwives and that the clinic “loses money on…