Focus on the Family proceeds with grant to Portland pregnancy centers for ultrasound

    PORTLAND — Colorado-based Focus on the Family last month awarded Pregnancy Resource Centers of Greater Portland a major grant for life-saving equipment, but the big gift also means the local Christian agency must intensify its ongoing fundraising.
    As reported in the April edition of Christian News Northwest, Focus on the Family in March sent two representatives to Portland to evaluate the local network of pregnancy centers against national standards. The favorable result was approval in April of a grant of about $146,000 that will provide 80 percent of the cost of five state-of-the-art digital ultrasound machines – valued at $32,000 each -- as well as additional related training of nurses.
    The first two machines have already been received and are to be placed in the Tigard and Southeast Portland centers. As more machines are obtained, they will be put to work in the Lloyd Center, Gresham, Milwaukie and Beaverton centers.
“   Now mothers will not only see their pre-born babies, they will hear their baby’s heartbeat!” said Larry Gadbaugh, chief executive officer of Pregnancy Resource Centers, expressing excitement over the grant to his agency. “Studies show that this increased ‘connection’ through both sight and sound will further increase the number of mothers who choose life for their babies.”
    But to complete the matching grant program, said Gadbaugh, Pregnancy Resource Centers must raise the other 20 percent, or about $35,000. Also, separate from the Focus grant, but integral to making the most of the new machines, the agency must boost its sustained annual giving from individuals and churches by $200,000 to increase ultrasound nurse coverage. This will permit all six centers to have ultrasound services available to clients during all hours that the centers are open. The agency’s current annual budget is between $1.4 million and $1.5 million.
     Focus on the Family has launched a nationwide initiative to maximize use of digital ultrasound in local pregnancy resource centers. According to Focus, more than 70 percent of abortion-vulnerable women who see their baby in their own womb through ultrasound choose to carry to term.
     If area churches and individuals contribute funds for full nursing coverage, Pregnancy Resource Center will be able to increase its capacity to provide ultrasounds from 500 annually to more than 5,000. This capacity expansion effort will be supplemented by an advertising program to increase client traffic to the centers. A local donor has contributed funds to start the first phase of this ad program.
     The older analog ultrasound machines currently at the Portland centers will be donated to pregnancy centers in other nations, who typically have no ultrasound machines.
     For more information, phone Pregnancy Resource Centers of Greater Portland at 503-256-0808.