TRUCKEE, Calif. —  A religious nonprofit is bringing pregnancy support services to Truckee, offering free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, educational resources and referrals to local organizations for women facing unplanned or unsupported pregnancies.

Peak Women’s Care, which currently operates a pregnancy resource center clinic in Portola, plans to open its Truckee location in the former Truckee Gateway Urgent Care building at 11105 Donner Pass Rd. The organization expects the center to open in mid-August.

According to Mollie Williams, executive director of Peak Women’s Care, the goal is to create a space where clients can openly discuss their situations and receive information and resources tailored to their needs, all of which is completely free and confidential. 

“We get to offer a space where they can sit one-on-one with one of our volunteers and staff members, and they get to go over whatever they want,” Williams said.

Ahead of the Truckee opening, however, some community members anonymously expressed concerns to the Sierra Sun that the organization’s religious affiliation could limit the information it provides about abortion or indicate an agenda to discourage women from seeking abortions.

Williams rejected that characterization.

“We are never going to force our opinion on people,” she said. “We’re here to give them all the information so they can make the choice that’s best for them.”

However, Williams acknowledged that the organization does not provide abortion referrals.

“Since we are a religious nonprofit, that’s where that kind of comes through,” Williams said. “There is already a lot of information out there, and so again, she’s welcome to go with that route. We are not going to tell her one way or another, but we, as a limited medical clinic, do not refer to abortions.”

Still, the anonymous concerns submitted to the Sierra Sun cited the region’s limited availability of abortion services as a reason to closely examine the organization’s new Truckee location. Tahoe Forest Hospital does not provide elective abortions, and while the nearest abortion provider is located in Reno, Medi-Cal patients seeking abortion care may need to travel farther to Grass Valley, Roseville or Sacramento metropolitan areas.

Williams said the Truckee location will follow a similar model to the organization’s Portola location, which opened on Nov. 5, 2024. Appointments will begin with one-on-one conversations about a client’s circumstances, support system and concerns before discussing available resources and pregnancy options.

“They get to sit there and talk through what they’re thinking about their pregnancy, what options they’re considering, where they want to go with that, who they have supporting them, if they need any material support, if they need a gas card, if they already have kids at home and need diapers or education classes,” Williams said. “We offer a wide range of things, and everything is free.”

If a pregnancy is confirmed, a registered nurse discusses whether the patient meets the clinic’s ultrasound criteria before performing an ultrasound to determine gestational age, confirm fetal cardiac activity and verify that the pregnancy is located within the uterus.

“Any time someone is pregnant, she has three options: the choice to carry the pregnancy to term and parent, the choice for abortion and the choice of adoption,” Williams said. “And so we talk about all of those options.”

She said the organization provides medically based information about each option and works with adoption agencies as well as organizations that assist parents with pregnancy and early childhood needs. The clinic also partners with Tahoe Forest for prenatal care referrals.

Truckee resident Betsy Taylor serves as the board president of Peak Women’s Care. Taylor is also the wife of Dr. Peter Taylor, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Tahoe Forest Hospital.

Although Peak Women’s Care describes itself as a Christian nonprofit, Williams said it is not affiliated with a specific church. However, it is funded through donations from churches, private organizations and individual supporters and does not accept government grants. Williams said the Truckee clinic has already received donations from several local organizations, though she did not disclose their names.

“We also get to offer prayer and support to women if that is something they are interested in,” Williams said. “If they aren’t interested in it, then we don’t.”

As the organization prepares to open its Truckee location, Williams said staff have begun outreach efforts in the community. The nonprofit has met with local medical organizations, and plans to distribute informational flyers to schools for principals and nurses to share with students who may need resources. The organization also hopes to expand its services to include STI testing and rape kits in the future.