Mobile Health Center Aims to Improve Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes
PHOENIX, AZ, March 6, 2024 — March of Dimes today announced the launch of its newest Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center® in Phoenix, aimed at providing quality healthcare to moms and babies. The Phoenix Center is made possible by an $800,000 donation from UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona, and in clinical partnership with Wesley Community & Health Centers and ASU Edson College of Nursing and Innovation. It's the second center in the state after Tucson, which opened in 2016.
“We're thrilled to launch a second mobile health center in our state to provide vital healthcare to families before, during, and after pregnancy," said Shadie Tofigh, March of Dimes Maternal Infant Health Director in Arizona. “We know that families in our community face barriers to accessing timely, quality care and we're pleased to bring this service directly to them."
The Phoenix Center will serve as a primary healthcare provider to insured, uninsured, and underinsured women of childbearing age (15-44) across the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, to ensure families in Phoenix get the best possible start. The mobile unit will also serve as an education hub for Edson College nursing students.
"At UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona, we’re committed to providing high-quality, accessible maternity care to all moms and babies,” said Jean Kalbacher, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona. “We believe every mom and baby deserve the best possible care, and we’re committed to making sure they get it, in their communities, through the March of Dimes Mom & Baby Mobile Health Center."
The Phoenix Center’s grand opening will be on March 6 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.
While the latest March of Dimes Report Card shows the state's preterm birth rate dropped from 10% in 2021 to 9.8% in 2022, Phoenix stands at 10.2%, earning the city a C- grade in this year's report. Arizona's grade of C (9.8%) is marginally better than the nation's crisis-level D+ (10.4%) grade for a second consecutive year. This grade underscores persistent and compounding gaps in health equity, putting moms and babies at risk.
Preterm birth among Arizona babies born to Black moms are 1.4 times higher than the rate among all other babies, and the state's maternal mortality rate is 31.4 per 100,000 births, surpassing the national average of 23.5. What's more, birthing people in Arizona have a very high vulnerability to poor outcomes and are most vulnerable due to their physical environment.
The Phoenix Center is the latest addition to the March of Dimes growing fleet, with additional units serving families in Tucson, Arizona, Columbus, Ohio, and Washington, DC. In 2023, the Tucson Center provided care to nearly 1,600 patients.
Visit the March of Dimes website for more information on the Phoenix Center, as well as the report card to learn more about the state of maternal and infant health in Arizona.
About March of Dimes
March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can get the best possible start. Since 1938, we’ve built a successful legacy to support every pregnant person and every family. To learn more about March of Dimes, please visit marchofdimes.org.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the healthcare experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.5 million physicians and care professionals, and 7,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated healthcare facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified healthcare company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow UnitedHealthcare on LinkedIn.
About Edson College of Nursing and Innovation
The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University is distinguished as a model for excellence and inspiration in nursing and interprofessional practice, education, and research to advance knowledge and innovative practice models, and new solutions to optimize the health and well-being of our diverse local, national and global communities. Please visit https://nursingandhealth.asu.edu/.
About Wesley Community & Health Centers
Wesley Community & Health Centers is a federally qualified health center dedicated to serving as a primary care home of choice, aligning its initiatives with the community's evolving needs. Wesley strives to create a caring and supportive environment, foster community partnerships, and address social determinants of health through integrated programs and services. Wesley Community & Health Centers is committed to sustainability, aiming to empower individuals and communities to reach their full potential for health and well-being.