Alexandria, Va. -- Hoping to reduce rising infant mortality rates, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), working with several corporate and government partners, on Monday launched a free mobile service providing timely health information to pregnant women and new moms. The service, called Text4bab, allows women to text BABY to 511411, then receive three free texts each week timed to their due date. The messages focus on a variety of topics, such as preventing birth defects, immunization, nutrition and mental health. They also connect underserved women to resources involving prenatal and infant care. Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra helped launch the service, which is being supported by corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, WellPoint, Pfizer and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. More than a dozen wireless carriers are distributing the texts to recipients at no charge. The HMHB said that the service can have a substantial impact, since texting is especially prevalent among women of childbearing age and minority populations who face higher infant mortality rates.
http://text4baby.org/
http://www.hmhb.org/text4babypr.html
http://text4baby.org/
http://www.hmhb.org/text4babypr.html
