Text4baby is a free text messaging service launched in 2010 that provides pregnant women and new mothers with health information. Over 500,000 women in the US are enrolled, including over 10,000 in Louisiana. The document discusses how women can register for Text4baby and the types of health messages they receive. It promotes becoming a partner to help increase enrollment and support maternal and child health, and provides contact information for organizations supporting Text4baby in Louisiana.

1. Text4baby
in
Louisiana
What
is
Text4baby?
The
Na6onal
Healthy
Mothers,
Healthy
Babies
Coali6on
(HMHB)
launched
text4baby
in
2010,
the
first
free
health
text
messaging
service
in
the
U.S.
for
pregnant
women
and
new
moms.
Text4baby
supports
moms
by
providing
accurate,
text-­‐length
health
informa6on
and
resources
in
a
format
that
is
personal
and
6mely,
using
a
channel
she
knows
and
uses.
Over
85%
of
Americans
own
a
cell
phone
including
75%
of
people
with
incomes
less
then
$35K.
• Over
500,000
women
in
the
U.S.
enrolled
(February
22,
2013)
• 10,803
Louisiana
women
enrolled
(February
22,
2013)
How
Text4baby
Works:
Registra6on
is
easy
and
can
be
done
online
www.text4baby.org
,
or
from
a
cell
phone
.
• Text
the
word
BABY
(or
BEBE
for
Spanish)
to
the
number
511411.
• Women
will
be
asked
to
enter
their
baby’s
due
date
or
birthday
and
zip
code.
• Messages
are
6med
with
the
babies
due
date,
or
birthdate.
• Women
receive
3
free
messages
each
week
with
6ps
for
pregnancy
or
caring
for
the
baby.
• Texts
start
in
pregnancy
and
go
on
un6l
the
baby
is
one
year
old.
• Messages
address
topics
such
as
prenatal
care,
safe
sleep,
immuniza6ons,
breasjeeding,
diabetes,
nutri6on,
family
violence,
and
safety.
Why
become
a
Text4baby
partner?
How
to
become
a
partner:
• LA
has
one
of
highest
infant
mortality
rates
in
the
US.
• Contact
text4baby
or
the
state
• Promo6ng
text4baby
is
a
simple,
easy
thing
your
agency
lead
&
let
them
know
your
can
do
to
be
part
of
the
solu6on
interest
• Good
PR
for
your
program/agency
• Sign
up
for
the
weekly
e-­‐
• Ini6al
results
*
indicate
that
text4baby
increases
users’
newslePer
on
the
text4baby.org
health
knowledge,
facilitates
interac6ons
with
their
health
website
providers,
improves
their
adherence
to
appointments
,
• Request
free
promo6onal
improves
immuniza6ons
and
their
access
to
health
services
materials
from
the
text4baby
website
*Na6onal
La6no
Research
Center
at
California
State
University,
San
Marcos
and
the
University
of
San
Diego
Department
of
Obstetrics
and
Gynecology
Louisiana
State
Support
“Text4baby
is
an
innova0ve
program
that
serves
as
a
model
for
public
health
outreach
and
wellness
efforts.
In
Louisiana,
we
have
a
high
rate
of
babies
born
pre-­‐term
or
at
a
low
birth
weight,
and
higher
than
average
rates
of
infant
mortality.
We
must
do
everything
we
can
to
improve
these
tragic
sta0s0cs,
and
the
text4baby
program
can
be
an
important
part
of
the
solu0on.
I
look
forward
to
seeing
even
more
women
in
Louisiana
signing
up
for
text4baby.”
-­‐Sen.
Mary
Landrieu
For
more
informa=on
or
to
become
a
partner
contact
:
• Text4baby
Partner
Outreach
Manager,
Kathleen
Murphy:
kmurphy@hmbm.org
or
(703)
838-­‐7511
• State
Official
Lead
Partner
:
La
DHH
BFH
Program,
Karis.Schoellmann@la.gov
or
(504)
568-­‐3504

2. Text4baby
in
Louisiana
Who
are
the
current
Louisiana
partners?
Examples
of
how
to
promote
Text4baby:
§ BlueCross
Blue
Shield
of
Louisiana
§ Incorporate
text4baby
in
your
social
media
§ Coventry
Health
Care
of
Louisiana,
Inc.
§ Add
a
text4baby
buPon
to
your
website
§ Family
Road
Healthy
Start
Program,
BR
§ Include
info
in
your
newslePer
§ Fitness
Fleet
Inc.,
New
Orleans
§ Distribute
text4baby
flyers
and
cards
§ Healthy
Start,
New
Orleans
§ LafayePe
General
Medical
Center
§ Louisiana
Legisla6ve
Women’s
Caucus
Founda6on
Louisiana
text4baby
Enrollment
Date:
11/29/2012
§ La.
Office
of
Public
Health
(BFH
Program)
Acadia
155
Grant
45
Sabine
56
§ LSU
Mid
City
Pediatric
Clinic
§ LSU
NBR
Woman’s
Clinic
Allen
83
Iberia
192
St
Bernard
101
§ Northern
Louisiana
Medical
Center
Ascension
230
Iberville
85
St
Charles
69
Assump6on
47
Jackson
56
St
Helena
24
Louisiana
Text4baby
data
Avoyelles
92
Jefferson
541
St
James
43
§ 502,009
have
enrolled
in
U.S.
(2/22/2013)
§ 95%
of
users
say
they
would
recommend
Beauregard
80
Jeff.
Davis
77
St
Landry
306
text4baby
to
a
friend
Bienville
41
La
Salle
26
St
Mar6n
136
§ 10,803
enrolled
in
Louisiana
as
of
2/22/13
§ 9,947
English
&
83
Spanish
sign-­‐ups
(11/12)
Bossier
191
LafayePe
638
St
Mary
155
§ 3.6
%
of
all
pregnant
women
&
new
moms
Caddo
570
Lafourche
204
St
Tammany
354
are
enrolled
(2/22/2013)
§ Enrollees
Include:
(11/12)
Calcasieu
350
Lincoln
126
St
J.
Bap6st
79
o 7,746
pregnant
women
Caldwell
41
Livingston
339
Tangipahoa
352
o 2,050
new
moms
o 130
dads/parents
Cameron
3
Madison
42
Tensas
15
o 74
rela6ve/friend
Catahoula
28
Morehouse
99
Terrebonne
330
o 26
healthcare
provider/observers
Claiborne
35
Natchitoches
84
Union
103
Concordia
40
Orleans
535
Vermilion
120
De
Soto
66
Ouachita
313
Vernon
126
Enrollment
profile
of
sample
users*
The
average
text4baby
par6cipant
has:
E
Baton
Rouge
1,127
Plaquemines
27
Washington
100
§ annual
household
income
between
$25-­‐35K,
E
Carroll
27
Pointe
Coupee
51
Webster
72
§ 3-­‐4
persons
in
their
household,
§ 1.5
children,
E
Feliciana
47
Rapides
344
W
B
Rouge
71
§ high
school
diploma
Evangeline
92
Red
River
13
W
Carroll
44
*
Study
by
the
Na6onal
La6no
Research
Center
at
California
Franklin
59
Richland
52
W
Feliciana
34
State
University,
San
Marcos
and
the
University
of
California,
*
top
5
are
bolded
San
Diego
Department
of
Obstetrics
and
Gynecology
Winn
24
State
of
Louisiana
Supports
Text4baby
In
June
2012,
a
Louisiana
state
resolu6on
was
passed
that
supports
text4baby.
HCR
84:
Urges
and
requests
the
Department
of
Health
and
Hospitals
and
the
LA
Hospital
Associa6on
to
promote
and
encourage
all
hospitals
and
medical
clinics
that
receive
state
dollars
to
promote
the
“text4baby”
ini6a6ve”.
For
More
Informa=on:
• Text4baby
Partner
Outreach
Manager,
Kathleen
Murphy:
kumrphy@hmbm.org
or
(703)
838-­‐7511
• State
Official
Lead
Partner
:
La
DHH
MCH
Program,
Karis.Schoellmann@la.gov
or
(504)
568-­‐3504
2/2013