Text4Baby plans to reach 1M moms by 2012
Tragically, in the U.S. approximately 28,000 babies die before their first birthday, despite a volume of science around behaviors that improve a baby’s chances for a healthy birth and opportunity to thrive.Text4baby was developed to deliver evidence-based health information to the women who need it most: the 1.5 million women on Medicaid who give birth each year. While many of these women may lack access to the Internet and other sources of health information, the vast majority of them do have a cell phone, and a reported 80 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries are active texters.
Since its launch in February 2010, text4baby has enrolled over 157,000 users and delivered over 12 million evidence-based tips to help them keep themselves and their babies healthy. That’s a great start but it’s not enough. Thanks to the grassroots efforts of more than 500 text4baby partners across the country, we are on track to achieve our goal of bringing the service to 1 million moms by the end of 2012 and delivering over 100 million timely and relevant health messages.
Developed in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services, Administration (HRSA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and other experts, text4baby messages cover topics like immunization, nutrition, smoking cessation, safe sleep, and the importance of early prenatal care. The content also connects women to services such as health insurance, childcare, and toll-free “quitlines” for assistance in becoming smoke- and drug-free. Text4baby has also delivered urgent infant product alerts at the request of the Food and Drug Administration and outbreak and immunization alerts at the request of CDC. Just last month, text4baby moms saw: “Breaking news! The American Academy of Pediatrics announced new car seat guidelines. Kids should now ride in rear facing-car safety seats until AGE 2.”
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