United Health Foundation and Any Baby Can Partner to Expand Maternal Care for At-Risk Women in Texas
November 18 2020 - 9:57AM
Business Wire
Three-year, $2 million grant
partnership will help expand services to nearly 500 families
The United Health Foundation is teaming up with Any Baby Can to
expand at-home maternal care services and improve the health of
at-risk prenatal women. The three-year, $2 million partnership will
focus on improving pregnancy outcomes, decreasing pre-term births,
and empowering mothers and their partners to create better futures
for themselves and their babies.
The grant supports the expansion of Any Baby Can’s Nurse-Family
Partnership program in and around Austin, Texas. The program
matches first-time, at-risk moms with a registered nurse to bring
answers, guidance and confidence in the comfort of the home, from
pregnancy until the child reaches age 2. During the COVID-19
pandemic, the program has continued through telehealth visits. The
grant partnership will allow Any Baby Can to develop new services
for the Nurse-Family Partnership program, including:
- Training mothers at risk for preeclampsia – a disorder that
involves high blood pressure and swelling that when untreated, can
lead to seizures or a stroke – to use blood pressure monitors and
alert their nurse or OB-GYN about major changes in status.
- Developing and implementing a new crisis risk assessment
protocol to identify mental health needs among clients and provide
home-based counseling services.
“The United Health Foundation and Any Baby Can share the goal of
improving the health of at-risk pregnant women and ensuring
children get the right start in life,” said Dr. Janice Huckaby,
chief medical officer of Maternal-Child Health at Optum, a
UnitedHealth Group company. “And at this historic time, we are
hearing that women are avoiding needed care due to fear of exposure
to COVID-19. It is important to limit potential exposure to
COVID-19, but at the same time, it is critical to receive needed
health care. Through this partnership, expectant and new mothers
will have better access to needed medical care that addresses a
public health imperative.”
Texas has had some of the poorest maternal health outcomes in
the country, and COVID-19 is exacerbating these serious challenges.
According to the most recent America’s Health Rankings Health of
Women and Children Data Update, the maternal mortality rate in
Texas was 18.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is higher than
the national rate of 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births. Texas
also has a lower than average percentage of women who received the
recommended prenatal care in their first four months of
pregnancy.
“The need is great for expanded maternal care services in our
community and we hope mothers appreciate — now more than ever —
that they can turn to our Nurse-Family Partnership program for
health advice and services that address the mental, physical and
psychological health of the whole family,” said Veronda Durden,
chief executive officer of Any Baby Can. “We are grateful for the
United Health Foundation’s generous support, which will empower Any
Baby Can to serve more at-risk mothers and babies and ultimately
improve their health and futures.”
UnitedHealth Group and its member companies are committed to
improving the health of mothers and newborns, raising awareness for
improved maternal health, and reducing the occurrence of avoidable
maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. UnitedHealthcare’s
Healthy Pregnancy and Maternity Support programs provide resources
and services to help expectant mothers get the most out of their
benefits, make informed decisions and promote dialogue with care
providers. Other recent efforts by UnitedHealth Group to address
maternal health needs and improve outcomes include the United
Health Foundation’s grant partnerships with East Carolina
University’s Brody School of Medicine and the Healthy Mothers,
Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia.
About the United Health Foundation
Through collaboration with community partners, grants and
outreach efforts, the United Health Foundation works to improve our
health system, build a diverse and dynamic health workforce and
enhance the well-being of local communities. The United Health
Foundation was established by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) in
1999 as a not-for-profit, private foundation dedicated to improving
health and health care. To date, the United Health Foundation has
committed more than $500 million to programs and communities around
the world. We invite you to learn more at
UnitedHealthFoundation.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201118005235/en/
Angela Richmond, UnitedHealthcare (952) 202-2777
angela_richmond@uhc.com
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