2012 Text4baby State Enrollment Contest Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR Contact:
Tamara Grider
National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition
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Text4baby Announces Winners of the 2nd Annual State Enrollment Contest at Nation’s Largest Public Health Meeting
Michigan, Indiana and South Dakota win contest by helping thousands of pregnant women and new moms connect to health information through innovative text service
WASHINGTON, DC – Since May, all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories have participated in the Text4baby State Enrollment Contest, a friendly competition to encourage promotion of the free service. This national contest¬—which was launched at a bi-partisan Congressional Briefing on May 17—has engaged states across the country in media and community outreach to help connect moms to the care they need through text4baby. The contest grew out of the enthusiasm of over 850 text4baby partners nationwide and their support of text4baby as a valuable tool for improving maternal and infant health.
Winners were determined based on new users who enrolled during the contest period as a percentage of eligible moms. Three groups of states/territories with similar numbers of estimated new pregnancies and new infants (based on CDC live birth data) competed against each other. Throughout the contest, all partners were able to regularly monitor their progress by accessing subscriber enrollment data by zip code through the text4baby website.
The winners of the contest were announced and honored today by Sarah Ingersoll, text4baby Campaign Director, and JoAnne Fischer, Executive Director, Maternity Care Coalition, during the Martha May Eliot Awards Ceremony that took place at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA.
The winning states are:
1. Large State Category: Michigan. Leading the way throughout the contest, Michigan won the large state category by enrolling 4,904 new moms. Over 40 Outreach Partners around the state conducted a variety of activities, including implementing a statewide media campaign, utilizing social media, and integrating text4baby and Medicaid/CHIP enrollment efforts.
2. Medium State Category: Indiana. Indiana was a clear frontrunner during the contest, and won the medium state category by enrolling 4,206 new moms. The Indiana Text4baby Campaign and other partner outreach included participation at community events, a statewide media campaign, social media, and more.
3. Small State Category: South Dakota. South Dakota won the small state category by enrolling 542 new users. South Dakota partners increased enrollment by reaching out to healthcare providers and school nurses to promote the service.
The U.S. Virgin Islands received honorable mention thanks to the outreach efforts of the Governor’s office and the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. Partners hosted community events, worked with local radio and television stations, and engaged healthcare providers to reach 135 new moms during the contest.
“I’d like to congratulate the winners of the State Enrollment Contest and express my sincere appreciation to all of the partners around the country who promote text4baby,” said Sarah Ingersoll, text4baby Campaign Director.
The State Enrollment Contest was supported by the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, American Public Health Association, CityMatCH, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, National Healthy Start Association, March of Dimes, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, National WIC Association, and Southern Governors Association.
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How Text4baby Works
Women who text "BABY" (or “BEBE” for Spanish) to 511411 receive three free text messages a week, timed to their due date or their baby's birth date, through pregnancy and up until the baby’s first birthday. The messages, which have been developed in collaboration with government and nonprofit health experts, address topics such as immunization, nutrition, birth defect prevention, and safe sleep. Text4baby also includes features such as appointment reminders, interactive features, fun quizzes, urgent health alerts, and support for accessing resources. The participating wireless phone companies have waived standard messaging fees, so text4baby is free for their customers.
Text4baby is made possible through a public-private partnership. Johnson & Johnson is the founding sponsor. Founding partners include National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Voxiva, CTIA – The Wireless Foundation, and Grey Healthcare Group (a WPP company). Learn more about the program at www.text4baby.org.