Posts Tagged ‘prenatal care’

Text4baby Sends Valuable Info to Your Phone

May 31st, 2013

Congratulations! You just found out you’re going to have a baby. It can be an exciting time for a family, but there’s also so much to learn. Thankfully there are free resources to help, including on your phone from Text4baby.  When you sign up for Text4baby you’ll get 3 text messages a week timed to your due date or baby’s birth date through the duration of your pregnancy and up until your baby’s first birthday. 

You can sign up by texting “BABY” to 511411. The text messages address topics such as labor signs and symptoms, prenatal care, urgent alerts, developmental milestones, immunizations, nutrition, birth defect prevention, safe sleep, safety and much more.  Most phone companies have agreed to not charge for the texts, but check with your carrier if you have questions.  

The National Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition is holding a state enrollment contest for Text4baby. The top states to enroll the highest percentage mothers in Text4baby between May and October, 2013 will be announced at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Boston in November. I hope you’ll join us in actively participating in the 2013 Text4baby State Enrollment Contest, and helping to get the word out to our pregnant clients, customers, family members and friends about this educational opportunity as we continue to work toward healthy babies.

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Infant Mortality: A Call to Action

March 25th, 2013

A new program is coming to help address infant mortality rates in Arizona thanks to the leadership of Dr. Maria Manriquez and the Maricopa Integrated Health System- who was awarded a Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns grant from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  They’ll be developing enhanced prenatal care at maternity care homes, including psychosocial support, education and health promotion, in addition to traditional prenatal care… reaching 1,500 high-risk pregnant women over a three-year period.  

Why is it necessary, you ask?  Because Arizona is 22nd in the nation in infant mortality… and the US ranks 173 out of 223 nations in this important public health metric.  While we’ve been able to decrease infant mortality and prematurity rates in AZ by 13% in the last 6 years… there’s still a long way to go. 

In an earlier blog I talked about ADHS accepting the ASTHO challenge to reduce prematurity by an additional 8% by 2014.  We’re working to accomplish this goal by expanding and improving home visiting programs, supporting the March of Dimes “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait 39 Week Toolkit,” and implementing the Arizona Preconception Health Strategic Plan to name a few examples. Additionally, our Bureau of Women’s and Children’s Health was chosen to participate in the Association of Maternal and Child Health Program’s Improving Birth Outcomes learning collaborative.

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Prematurity Report Card

November 13th, 2012

The March of Dimes just released its annual report card marking how well states are doing in the battle to lower the percentage of babies born prematurely.  Being born too soon can cause long-term disabilities in children including cerebral palsy, developmental delay, respiratory problems and vision and hearing problems.  Sadly, prematurity is also the leading cause of infant death in Arizona.  In 2011, 199 Arizona infants died from being born too soon.

This year we launched a Healthy Babies initiative and pledged to reduce prematurity 8% by 2014.  We’ve been working hard with our partners, especially the March of Dimes Arizona Chapter and the Arizona Perinatal Trust to implement strategies, like reducing elective deliveries before 39 weeks.  We now know how important those last weeks of pregnancy are to a developing baby.  A baby’s brain at 35 weeks weighs only two thirds of what it will weigh at 39-40 weeks. 

The report card shows Arizona’s prematurity rate declined from 12.7% in 2009 to 12.1% in 2011.  This is a 4.7% reduction, meaning we are a little over half way there to meeting our goal of an 8% reduction.  The progress is good, but there’s more work to do.

One of our main leverage points in the battle to reduce prematurity is the multi-agency system of home visiting programs for pregnant women and families with young children.  The system – known as Strong Families Arizona – offers many home visiting programs that can help a pregnant woman learn about her pregnancy and her baby.  The home visitor can also teach a family about safe sleep for baby.  Click on this link to see if you are eligible for home visiting and if it is available in your neighborhood. 

Preterm birth can happen to anyone and most women who have a premature birth have no known risk factors.  We do know about half of premature births are as a result of preterm labor.  There are things that women can do to help their health and lower the risk of having a premature baby such as quit smoking and avoid alcohol or drugs; see your health care provider for a medical checkup before pregnancy; maintain a healthy weight; work with your health care provider to control diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes; get prenatal care early, as soon as you think you may be pregnant, and discuss concerns during pregnancy with your health care provider.

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Moms & Kids

June 6th, 2012

It’s time for our Bureau of Women’s & Children’s Health and our Office of Children with Special Health Care Needs to complete their annual application for the Maternal and Child Health Title V Block Grant.  When you hear “Title V”, people are talking about our maternal and child health prevention programs.  These programs work with other state agencies and community partners to promote health and wellness for Arizona’s women and children. “Title V” is the shortcut way of talking about maternal and child health because it’s Title V of the Social Security Act. 

Each year we report what we’ve done to improve our Performance Measures, which are really national goals, for better women’s and children’s health.  They’re goals like getting more expectant mothers to early prenatal care and finding ways for children to get the health care they need.  The new request will also spell out our plans for work in 2013.  This is where we need your help!  We would like to hear your ideas, comments, or concerns about how we are doing and how we might do a better job. Please send your comments to Dyanne.Herrera@azdhs.gov by June 15.

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New Border Health Resources

May 7th, 2012

Obesity, injury prevention, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse are all border health priorities.  Our prevention team put together an inventory identifying current programs addressing these priority areas in AZs border communities.  Our WIC program and Arizona Nutrition Network reach thousands of low-income women and kids along the border- improving nutrition and reducing obesity.  Programs like our Sexual Violence Prevention & Education and Safe Kids coalitions work to address injuries. 

Our women’s and children’s health shop just finished an analysis of  Teen Pregnancy in Border and Non-Border Counties in Arizona.  Teen pregnancy rates along the border have declined significantly in the past decade.   The border counties have higher rates of teen pregnancy among 15-17 year olds, but lower rates among 18-19 year olds compared to non-border counties. 

Also this week…  the national office of the March of Dimes issued a three-year analysis of various maternal and child health indicators in its March of Dimes MCH Border Report.  The report finds that Arizona residents of border communities have lower rates of prenatal care and higher rates of infant mortality than the non-border counties, but have lower preterm birth.

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Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait

April 13th, 2012

Being born too soon is the number one killer of infants in Arizona and in the nation (birth defects is a close second).  Death rates from prematurity are declining but babies born too soon (before 37 weeks) often face medical, developmental and social challenges as they get older. More than 8,000 babies in Arizona were born too soon last year. Our latest March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card was average- but there was good news related to the reduction in the percentage of uninsured women and the number of women who smoke.  

Some of the things that can cause prematurity include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, and alcohol or drug abuse.  One of our main approaches to reducing prematurity rates is to improve the health of women before they get pregnant- called preconception health.   Prenatal care is still important- but poor health practices during pregnancy will usually trump good prenatal care. 

Our interventions include implementing evidence-based practices to get moms to stop smoking, improve physical activity and nutrition and behavioral health- all are part of our Preconception Health Strategic Plan and our Every Woman Arizona educational materials, grants to implement preconception health strategies, and home visitation programs that address many of the things that lead to prematurity.  Our WIC program and clinics also work with young moms in their reproductive years to improve their health.  We also work with the Arizona March of Dimes and the Arizona Perinatal Trust to encourage hospitals to adopt policies designed to ensure that elective births aren’t approved before 39 weeks gestation. 

BTW… This Saturday is the March for Babies in Phoenix.  The annual fundraiser for the March of Dimes started more than 30 years ago and helps moms in Arizona have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.  What they’ve accomplished so far is phenomenal and you can help.  ADHS has a team and would love to have you join us or you can donate…  Registration starts at 7 am – it’s at Wesley Bolin Plaza by the Capitol.

 

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What’s Preconception Health- and Why’s it Important?

November 7th, 2011

Being born too soon is the number one killer of infants in Arizona and in the nation.  Death rates from prematurity are declining but babies born too soon (before 37 weeks) often face medical, developmental and social challenges as they get older. More than 8,000 babies in Arizona were born too soon last year.   This week the March of Dimes released the 2011 Premature Birth Report Card that grades States on their premature birth rates.  While Arizona was average- there was good news related to the reduction in the percentage of uninsured women and the number of women who smoke.   

Some of the known factors impacting prematurity include having twins/triplets, having a chronic disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, being obese, smoking, and alcohol or illegal drug use.  One of our main approaches to reducing prematurity rates is to improve the health of women before they get pregnant- called preconception health.   Prenatal care is still important- but poor health practices during pregnancy will usually trump good prenatal care.   

Our interventions include implementing evidence-based practices to get moms to stop smoking, improve physical activity and nutrition and behavioral health- and all are part of our Preconception Health Strategic Plan which includes Every Woman Arizona educational materials, grants to six local communities to implement preconception health strategies, and home visitation programs that address many of the factors that can lead to prematurity.  Our WIC program and clinics also work with young moms in their reproductive years to improve their health.  We also work with the Arizona March of Dimes and the Arizona Perinatal Trust to encourage hospitals to adopt policies designed to ensure that elective inductions aren’t approved before 39 weeks gestation.

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Raising Arizona Babies

September 19th, 2011

Do you know someone who’s pregnant and needs help finding low-cost prenatal care? Someone looking for post-partum depression resources; help with breastfeeding; low-cost dental care; or the nearest WIC clinic?  One great resource that can help is our Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Hotline.  The Hotline (1-800-833-4642) is a statewide service funded by our Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant and it helps thousands of callers every year with a variety of maternal and child health issues- like the importance of folic acid- and providing lots of referrals for a variety of community resources. 

The Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Hotline also supports AHCCCS’s Baby Arizona program.  Baby Arizona is a faster, simpler way of getting prenatal care before a pregnant woman’s AHCCCS application process is complete. Prenatal care providers across the state agree to see pregnant women while their eligibility is being determined. Once a women goes to the Baby Arizona provider she chooses, the provider helps her apply and pre-enroll her in a health plan. That way, women begin prenatal care at no cost while their eligibility is still being processed.  It’s a great way to facilitate early entry into prenatal care- increasing the likelihood of a healthy birth outcome.  By the way, when a pregnant woman applies for AHCCCS she’s considered a family of 2 (or more if there are multiples)- meaning that she’s not in the “childless adult” category- and wouldn’t be subject to the enrollment freeze for childless adults.

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Ensuring Healthy Birth Outcomes

January 14th, 2011

What’s the most important thing we can do to ensure a good birth outcome?  During the 1980s and 1990s, public health focused on the importance of prenatal care and ensuring that every woman got into prenatal care early in the pregnancy and continued with consistent care throughout the pregnancy.  Programs like Health Start enlisted lay health workers in communities to identify women early in their pregnancy and link them with prenatal care were successful in improving our prenatal care rates.   In 1999, Arizona was one of the first states to employ a new analytic method called the Perinatal Periods of Risk Model to examine birth and death records to pinpoint the greatest risk for poor birth outcomes.

To our surprise, we found that the greatest contributing factor to poor birth outcomes were conditions that existed prior to pregnancy.  Things like the general state of the mother’s health including nutrition, tobacco and alcohol use, and chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.  A major shift began at that point to focus more resources on women’s health including family planning, nutrition and physical activity and early screening, diagnosis and control of chronic conditions prior to pregnancy.  It turns out that obesity has become the most common risk factor for a poor birth outcome because of the link to complicating conditions that increase risk in pregnancy.  For more information on the department’s efforts around preconception care, check out the website for Perinatal Periods of Risk analysis and Every Woman Arizona materials.

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