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Influencer recording video about newborn baby bottle feeding and baby formula milk preparation as part of online prenatal classes
WICHITA, Kan. — A program aimed at eradicating preventable infant death and improving birth outcomes will soon be available across the Sunflower State.
Aetna Better Health of Kansas announced Tuesday that Aetna has provided a community investment of $150,000 to the Kansas University Endowment Association for their BabyTalk program, a pregnancy and newborn education program administered by the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. The investment will expand the program statewide, making BabyTalk available to all Medicaid beneficiaries beginning in 2023.
“We found a program in Wichita that we know will work for all Kansas families,” said Jane Brown, chief executive officer, Aetna Better Health of Kansas. “Participants in the BabyTalk program are more likely than the county average to reach full-term pregnancy, and more likely to initiate breastfeeding.”
BabyTalk consists of six, two-hour classes covering everything from how to have a healthy pregnancy, to infant care, to postpartum changes and concerns. BabyTalk is open to anyone who is pregnant and under 32 weeks of gestation and is designed for women who may not otherwise have access to prenatal education.
Classes are available in both English and Spanish and most are taught by labor and delivery nurses or others with maternal and infant expertise. Women who complete all six classes, plus pre- and post-assessments that collect participants’ knowledge and intentions as well as birth outcome data, receive an infant safety item of their choice, such as an infant carrier car seat, portable crib or breastfeeding kit, at no charge. Since its launch, BabyTalk has gifted more than 1,500 car seats to Kansas moms.
Since 2021, Aetna Better Health of Kansas has donated more than $330,000 to various community-based organizations across the state to positively impact population health and provide those in need with more options to access quality health care.
For more information on BabyTalk and how you can refer individuals to participate in the program, visit their website at www.BabyTalkICT.com.
