2018-10-25T07:01:00
(BPT) – According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more low birth weight babies were born last year than in previous years, a startling reversal after years of a steady decline.
Teens, women over age 35, African-American women and women with low income are at greater risk of giving birth to preterm and low birth weight babies. This problem is particularly alarming in New Jersey, where one in 10 babies is born preterm and one in 12 is born with a low birth weight.
Preterm births can result in health challenges for children that will last their entire lives, including disabilities, developmental delays and chronic conditions. Further, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports children who experience poverty, particularly during early life or for an extended period of time, are also at risk for a host of adverse health and developmental issues throughout their lives.
Stacey Stewart, president of the March of Dimes, stated it plainly in a recent interview: “The chance of a baby’s survival should not depend on where a baby is born, or the income, race and ethnicity of her mom.”
While prenatal health is important for any expectant mom, it can be especially critical for low-income women, many of whom receive coverage from Medicaid. The increased health risks for a low-income woman and her baby — much like other low-income populations — are often tied to social and economic factors such as lack of access to food, housing or transportation. As a result, WellCare Health Plans, a NJ FamilyCare provider in New Jersey, helps connect its members to social services through its Community Connections program. According to WellCare, the top social service requests for New Jersey residents in 2017 included medication, food and financial assistance.
The March of Dimes has set a goal of reducing preterm birth rates to 8.1 percent by 2020 but, to get there, experts agree that there are critical points along the journey an expectant mom must take to ensure she, and her baby, can be as healthy as possible.
Three keys to improving newborn health in New Jersey, especially for low-income women eligible for NJ FamilyCare:
- Improve Prenatal Care Programs: Many women start prenatal care late, or get no prenatal care at all. There are programs across the state of New Jersey that can help expectant moms maintain proper prenatal health habits as well as prepare for after their baby is born. The WellCare of New Jersey team, for example, employs registered nurses to work one-on-one with members to coordinate their care and, consequently, has seen a decrease in babies born at very low birthweight.
- Going Beyond Healthcare: It’s hard to maintain healthy behaviors during pregnancy when you don’t have a place to live, or don’t have access to healthy foods. By building connections between healthcare and social services, those barriers can be addressed. There are a number of social services available across the state of New Jersey to help with social and economic barriers.
- Assistance and Support after Baby’s Birth: Women who are at high risk for preterm birth, or who have gone through preterm birth, need additional assistance after they give birth. WellCare provides these new moms with personalized services, including discharge planning and in-home monitoring of the baby’s health. All this helps women who have a preterm newborn to manage the medical and emotional aspects, and help new moms keep up with well-baby checkups and immunizations.
WellCare of New Jersey offers a Community Connections Help Line to help connect callers with local support resources. For help, call 866-775-2192, where someone is available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (local time).
