March of Dimes, the leader in the fight for the health of all moms and babies, announced their latest collaboration with Anthem Blue Cross Foundation to reduce preterm births and improve maternal and infant health in California. Premature birth is the largest contributor to infant death in the U.S., and pregnancy-related death has more than doubled over the past 25 years. The funding, which has been allocated to California, is part of a $1.5 million grant provided by Anthem Blue Cross Foundation’s parent foundation to support maternal and infant health programs in 19 states across the country.
“According to The National Center for Health Statistics, this year marks the third consecutive increase in preterm births after steady declines over the previous seven years,” says Lisa F. Waddell, MD, MPH March of Dimes deputy medical officer. “Among non-Hispanic black women and Hispanic women, the preterm birth rate increase was even greater. March of Dimes is collaborating with Anthem Blue Cross Foundation to expand evidence-based programs to address this alarming trend.”
“The Anthem Blue Cross Foundation is committed to helping improve the health and wellness of the residents of California by expanding access to critical programs that can have a positive impact on our state,” said Steve Melody, President of Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal Health Plan. “Together with March of Dimes, we are working to ensure at-risk mothers in our communities have support through programs and services that encourage healthy pregnancies, reduce the number of preterm births and create a healthier generation of Americans.”
The Anthem Blue Cross Foundation grant will help March of Dimes to address the urgent health crisis facing mothers and babies in California and provide vital resources that can help prevent premature births as well as maternal and infant mortality.
Programs that Anthem Foundation funding will support include:
Birth Spacing and Pregnancy Intentionality — Spacing pregnancies less than 18 months apart increases the risk of preterm birth and low birthweight. Programs in Alameda, Fresno and San Bernardino counties will focus on providing reproductive health services to improve birth spacing and maternal health.
IMPLICIT Interconception Care (ICC): This model will be used in Alameda County and incorporates maternal risk assessment and interconception care into well-child visits (ages 0-2), to improve birth outcomes. While new mothers may not go to a postpartum visit or primary care for themselves, many regularly take their infants to pediatric healthcare visits. IMPLICIT ICC provides a brief screening targeting four risk factors: smoking, depression, family planning and multivitamin/folic acid use.
Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait© (HBWW) — A preterm birth prevention initiative with a focus on decreasing “preventable” preterm birth, through partnerships and collaborations between hospitals, health departments and community organizations in San Bernardino County. HBWW focuses on the specific needs for that particular community and provides educational information for pregnant patients, perinatal providers and the greater community on the problems of preterm birth, its risk factors and strategies for reducing risks.
Smoking Cessation Programs — Research has shown that babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely than babies born to nonsmokers to have birth defects, low birthweight or be born too soon. Grant funding will support the expansion of smoking cessation programs for pregnant women in San Bernardino County as part of the HBWW program, to decrease a woman’s risk of poor birth outcomes.
Statewide Pharmacist Training -- The goal of this project is to develop and deliver a continuing education curriculum for California pharmacists to improve obstetrical outcomes, including healthy birth spacing, preventing preeclampsia and preventing repeat preterm birth. This project will provide continuing education for pharmacists across California in both on-demand online and live local events. Trainings are planned for the following counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Fresno, Kern, Santa Clara, and Sacramento.
This new grant continues a longstanding relationship between the Anthem Foundation and March of Dimes to improve maternal and infant health. Since 2011, the Anthem Foundation has provided more than $5 million in funding, which has supported programs reaching more than 36,000 women across the country.