Martha Avila

Heartbeat of Miami is an initiative of the Christian community to build a network of Christ-centered pregnancy help medical clinics in the neediest neighborhoods of South Florida. It serves women and couples facing an unplanned pregnancy — most of them at risk of abortion — with the message of hope.

Every service is free and confidential: pregnancy tests, sonograms, consultation and education, ongoing support, prenatal and adoption referrals, post-abortion counseling, parenting preparation, women's wellness, and material goods from its baby boutique. Medical care is given under the direction of a licensed physician.

Its commitment of care promises that every client is served regardless of age, race, income, nationality, religion or disability; is treated with kindness and compassion; receives honest answers and accurate information about pregnancy and its risks; and has her information held in strict confidence. Every staff member, board member and volunteer who works with clients is screened and trained to those standards.

The ministry answered the call in 2006, and in 2007 opened its first clinic in Hialeah, in a building that had once been an abortion business, at a time when Miami had more than 37 of them. Today it runs five clinics — in Hialeah, Kendall, North Miami, West Flagler and Homestead — and Martha E. Avila is its president.