Fewer pregnant mothers are seeking help from chronically overcrowded programs offering prenatal care since the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved an illegal immigration crackdown in October, health officials told The Examiner.

The low-income women who rely on the programs are typically uninsured, and many are Hispanic immigrants, including illegals. New births dropped 10 percent at both county hospitals last year, and medical professionals who provide prenatal care say the county’s crackdown is a major reason.

Health care professionals say patients are wary about seeking help, although no medical services will be denied to illegal immigrants under the county’s new laws, which increase deportations of traffic violators and reduce access to some services.

“I see fear in their eyes,” said Sallie Eissler, who leads the prenatal program at Potomac Hospital in Woodbridge. The hospital service that attracted five new patients a week last year has slowed to two or three each week since the resolution’s passage, she said.

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Services for pregnant women provided by the Prince William Health District also are seeing lower demand since the resolution, said its director, Dr. Alison Ansher, though she did not have numbers.

“We understand that there is a fear among some of the people … and they may be flocking to other communities,” she said, adding, “It could be a temporary thing.”

The issue, long a concern among health care professionals, is becoming a public issue since Prince William Hospital President Michael Schwartz testified before a federal civil rights commission last month that 40 percent of pregnant mothers at the Manassas-area hospital received inadequate or no prenatal care.

“I would love to see the community come together over this issue,” Eissler said, calling for a widespread effort to improve programs for low-income pregnant mothers.

Both immigrant advocates and illegal immigration critics say the drop is one more indication that illegal immigrants are leaving the county for other communities.

“I think that is a sign that the resolutions on illegal immigration are working,” said Corey Stewart, chairman of the county’s board of supervisors.

But immigrant advocates say immigrants are not getting the critical care they need because they are scared.

“There’s just so many obstacles and barriers to getting prenatal care in Prince William County,” said Nancy Lyall, a coordinator for Mexicans Without Borders. “People don’t want to risk it.”

dgenz@dcexaminer.com