JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To help ensure more families have access to educational resources they need for healthy birth outcomes, the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition (NEFHSC), Baptist Health and Philips Avent (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) have partnered to offer a one-year, no-cost subscription to the premium version of Philips’ Pregnancy+. Pregnancy+, the number one pregnancy app worldwide, will be available to women and their families in Baker, Clay and Duval counties.
“We want to do everything we can to improve the health and well-being of babies and their mothers,” says Katie Ensign, VP, Community Impact and Investment with Baptist Health. “By coming alongside moms and families with information in the palm of their hands on relevant topics such as safe sleep practices, breastfeeding and mental health tips, we intend to improve health outcomes and save lives.”
Designed to supplement a woman’s prenatal care, Pregnancy+ supports parents from the moment they discover they are pregnant by offering personalized content, expert-written information and interactive 3D models to track a baby’s development. Users experience a curated daily feed of articles tailored to their pregnancy stage and can personalize pregnancy tracking, including allowing partners or other loved ones to follow their progress through the app. The premium version also features videos and audio courses with maternal health experts to further educate and support expectant moms on their pregnancy journey.
“Our community health workers, care coordinators and other staff members will work with families to onboard them into the pilot and address any questions,” said Faye Johnson, CEO of NEFHSC. “The ability to offer this informative tool to our moms-to-be is another way we can empower women with the knowledge necessary to make more informed decisions about their well-being and the health of their baby while also ensuring they’re aware of the many community resources available.”
In addition to important information about pregnancy and childbirth, the app also provides access to care by connecting women and their families to community resources such as home visiting programs. Research shows families enrolled in programs such as Healthy Start, Nurse-Family Partnership and others have experienced reductions in preterm births and low birth weight, both factors in infant mortality. According to the American Journal of Public Health, home visiting programs reduce the risk of a child’s death by approximately 25%.
The state of Michigan, which launched a customized version of the Pregnancy+ app last year, has reached 32,000 Michigan residents, including connecting 1,000 Medicaid-eligible individuals to the state’s evidence-based home visiting programs.
“Every family deserves a strong start with the best care possible and the tools and resources they need for a healthy pregnancy and baby,” said Jeff DiLullo, Chief Region Leader for Philips North America. “It takes public-private partnerships with community organizations, healthcare and technology providers to ensure that we can make a meaningful impact in the U.S. maternal mortality crisis and help create a more equitable system.”
About the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition
The NEFHSC leads the community effort to reduce infant death and improve the health of children, childbearing women, fathers and their families in Northeast Florida. For more information, view our media kit or contact Markale Ford at mford@nefhsc.org or 904.933.1320. Visit the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions for statewide information or the National Healthy Start Association for national data.
About Baptist Health
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Baptist Health is an independent, community-based health system focused on making health care easier to access while working to improve health and well-being. As the area’s only locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, Baptist Health delivers a full spectrum of preventive and specialty care through its 200+ ambulatory locations, 6 acute care hospitals, home health and virtual care offerings. Through its comprehensive approach to whole-person health for children and adults, Baptist Health provides the area’s largest network of primary care, urgent care and behavioral health care, as well as many specialty services and several wellness centers. To help people get the care they need when and where they need it, the health system leverages digital technology to enhance the delivery of its high-quality, coordinated, patient-centered care.
Baptist Health is vital to the community, caring for more patients in Northeast Florida than any other provider and has been consistently ranked as “most preferred” for more than 30 years. To learn more, visit baptistjax.com.
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2023 sales of EUR 18.2 billion and employs approximately 69,300 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
