(Jackson) -- In an effort to alleviate barriers pregnant and new mothers face in accessing health care, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, together with Adena Health System under the "Better Starts for All" umbrella, is providing women in Southeast Ohio with prenatal and postpartum care and reproductive health services.

The effort is in response to limited availability of maternity care services in the region. The rate of uninsured pregnancies is more than twice as high in Ohio’s rural communities as urban areas.

The new "Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center" will travel throughout the region to give all moms and babies the best start in life. It is a key intervention of "Better Starts for All," a partnership between March of Dimes and Reckitt’s Enfa portfolio of brands.

“With 1 in 10 babies in Ohio born preterm, and a high rate of pregnancy-associated deaths for new mothers, we want to ensure that all moms and babies - especially those with the greatest need - get the care they deserve. My role as a primary care doctor is also to promote health after pregnancy. And when you have complex pregnancy and disease in pregnancy, that disease does not go away,” said Dr. Seuli Brill, a physician at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and associate professor in the Ohio State University College of Medicine who co-leads the mobile health initiative.

“Maternity care deserts expose the serious and sometimes deadly issues that can result from lack of access to care for moms and babies,” said Stacey D. Stewart, March of Dimes President and CEO. “There are several counties in Southeast Ohio that have little or no access to maternity care which highlights the need for us to find real solutions for the women living in these deserts. That’s why the Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center, part of our Better Starts for All initiative, is so critical to address the pressing maternal health disparities in communities where access to obstetric care is either absent or limited.”

"All moms and babies should have the opportunity to have access to the information and care they need. We are proud to stand beside our partners in Ohio and March of Dimes with their legacy of addressing some of the toughest health issues in our country. By partnering to offer the Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center and many digital resources, we are confident that we are providing the best start for our most important person, every baby, at all times," said Robert Cleveland, Senior Vice President, Nutrition at Reckitt.

The Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center is currently based at the Adena Health Center - Jackson, 1000 Veterans Dr., Jackson, Ohio. Other services offered through Better Starts for All include:

Community health workers: Trained community members assist new moms to access care and provide education, referrals and resources.
Virtual education: Online prenatal education available for individuals and groups.
Community coalition: A coalition of community providers who develop and implement innovative strategies to increase access to care in maternity care deserts.

“With the Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center moms and moms-to-be can receive the vital care they need closer to home, which is particularly beneficial to women living in maternity care deserts in Southeast Ohio,” said Natasha McCoy, a certified nurse midwife with Adena. Adena’s team of certified nurse midwives provide weekly coverage on the Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center.

Call 740-779-7201 to schedule an appointment at the Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center. Services are billed to the women’s insurance; if they don’t have insurance, they’re deferred to financial counselors. To learn more about Better Starts for All, visit betterstartsforall.com/ohio.

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Jennie James