HHS and Baby2Baby announce partnership; mothers in La. benefit

HHS also launched a new website, www.hhs.gov/newbaby, for families to get critical information on health, feeding, sleeping, child development and programmatic information. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the non-profit organization Baby2Baby announced a new pilot program to distribute a one-time only Newborn Supply Kit made up of essential goods and critical maternal health items to new mothers and their infants.
The agencies will first distribute 3,000 of the Newborn Supply Kits across Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico — three states experiencing deep levels of family poverty — via hospitals and community-based partner organizations. Any mother giving birth during pilot implementation at one of the partner sites will be eligible to receive a kit.
The announcement coincided with a visit by Vice President Kamala Harris and HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families January Contreras to the nonprofit’s Los Angeles headquarters and warehouse. Harris and Contreras toured the warehouse and met with mothers to discuss maternal health and support for families.
“Every mother or mother-to-be should have access to the support they need for their family to be healthy,” said Harris. “Through this partnership, our Administration continues to prioritize the maternal health of women across America.”
“The disparities in maternal and neonatal health care in this country are staggering — and unacceptable. The pilot program with Baby2Baby provides much needed supplies to mothers and their newborns,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “The Biden-Harris Administration will continue to use every lever available to address the disparities in our health care system and provide whole-person care to pregnant people and their families. This is another strong example of government working in partnership with leaders in the community to solve problems for the American people.”
The Newborn Supply Kits consist of more than 20 items including diapers and wipes, clothing, hygiene items, blankets and thermometers for newborns, and postpartum pads, lotion, cold packs, breastfeeding supplies, and carriers for new moms.
This pilot is part of the ongoing work to support President Biden’s Executive Order 14058, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government. Executive Order 14058 establishes the President’s Management Council’s cross-government effort and interagency team to tackle the designated life experience of “Having a child and early childhood.”
Following the pilot program implementation, the goal is to expand this effort to significantly increase the number of families receiving these Newborn Supply Kits.
“We need bold solutions that recognize and respond to the unacceptable disparities in maternal health outcomes in this country,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Through this new funding, health centers will be able to tailor their response to the needs of their patients and communities and take action to save lives.”
Women in America are dying at a higher rate from pregnancy-related causes than in any other developed nation, and Black women and American Indian/Alaska Native women are dying at more than three and two times the rate, respectively, from pregnancy-related causes as White women. And maternal mental health conditions are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 women in the United States.
Expecting and new parents who feel overwhelmed or are experiencing depression and anxiety, as well as their loved ones, should reach out to the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) for support and resources.