The World Health Organization has designated 2020 as ‘The Year of the Nurse and Midwife’
(LOS ANGELES, Calif.) — NEWS: BabyLiveAdvice, Inc., a Los Angeles-based, woman-owned social enterprise, supports pregnant moms and parents from preconception through early childhood via telehealth, phone and chat. The company’s mission is to help one million moms and their babies to be happy and healthy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 – “The Year of the Nurse and Midwife” – bringing women’s issues front and center. BabyLiveAdvice is taking heed.
“The U.S. has the highest rate of maternal deaths in the developed world,” Sigi Marmorstein, founder and CEO, BabyLiveAdvice, says. “Giving birth in America has become increasingly dangerous, sometimes deadly, especially for mothers who lack access to care.”
In fact, the 2019 March of Dimes Report Card revealed that, for the fourth year in a row, more babies in the U.S. (approximately one out of 10) were born too soon, with the rate of pre-term births increasing steadily every year. (*Note 1.)
“We have 135 moms a week who die or are injured during childbirth or within weeks of giving birth,” Marmorstein says. “There are two babies who die every hour. It’s not talked about and prevention is lacking.”
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists projects that there will be a shortage of nearly 9,000 obstetricians and gynecologists by 2020, which will grow to a shortage of approximately 22,000 by 2050. This shortage is creating “maternal deserts,” where 5 million women have no access to obstetricians.
“Some women have to travel five to six hours for care or even go out of state,” Marmorstein says.
Marmorstein, a nurse innovator and telehealth expert with 22 years of clinical experience, believes she has a technological solution to help with this crisis. In 2018, she self-funded BabyLiveAdvice, with support of colleagues such as Milton Chen, CEO of Vsee, the HIPAA-secure platform used by BabyLiveAdvice, who support her vision.
Prior to the company’s launch, extensive research and pilots showed that pregnant women and new parents are under-informed or misinformed about their pregnancy, childbirth options, breastfeeding and infant care. They lack education and have unequal healthcare access. Additionally, shorter appointment times, transportation barriers and early discharge from the hospital just serve to widen the care gap.
The pilot study went on to demonstrate that when moms are supported, educated, monitored, empowered and coached throughout their pregnancies and postpartum period they have better birth outcomes and fewer complications than moms who did not receive such help.
“We’re a group of nurses and midwives who are mothers. We’re from diverse cultural and clinical backgrounds and work from home caring for our children while using our skills to support and help others,” Elaine Kopinga, lead nurse midwife at BabyLiveAdvice, says.
BabyLiveAdvice gives mothers/parents virtual access to advice and support from the comfort of their home. They can ask questions and get answers right away.
“From pre-conception through the baby’s age of four, women have access to a personal team of professionals and it doesn’t cost thousands of dollars,” Lovell Valencia, clinician at BabyLiveAdvice, says.
BabyLiveAdvice fills a critical gap in the current health system. It’s a budget-friendly solution and insurance companies, employers, hospitals, physicians and non-profit organizations are already collaborating because it’s easy to implement. Advice staff helps physicians to manage large panels of patients, while effectively reducing physician burnout, improving care access and reducing overall costs.
“We have our eyes and ears on moms and babies and are more effective than a traditional nurse call line in reducing ER visits and calls to physicians. We improve timely escalation and emergent conditions, and reduce the overall risk of care,” Marmorstein says.
While maternal deaths are not a subject many like to talk about, BabyLiveAdvice believes 2020 is the year to begin the conversation, promote awareness and produce real results that lead to positive change. They’ve already made a difference, but there’s more to be done.
About BabyLiveAdvice
BabyLiveAdvice supports and partners with providers, employers, insurance companies and other organizations, nationally and internationally. It works to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality by providing virtual prenatal/postnatal education, monitoring of chronic conditions (i.e., diabetes and hypertension), smoking and substance abuse cessation, parental nutrition and mental health screening and support.
For more information, visit: https://www.babyliveadvice.com/
*NOTE 1 (PDF): https://www.marchofdimes.org/materials/MOD2019_REPORT_CARD_and_POLICY_ACTIONS_BOOKLETv72.pdf
Related link: https://www.babyliveadvice.com/
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