A new program in Philadelphia is taking a creative approach to addressing the common problems of preterm births, low birth weights, and infant mortality. The city has some of the highest rates of all three, consistently above the national average, and the program creator is hoping to turn these rates around by offering financial support for pregnant women and their babies.
Philly Joy Bank is offering expectant mothers $1,000 per month beginning in the third month of pregnancy through the baby’s first birthday. Eligible participants must be 18 years of age or older and between 12 and 24 weeks pregnant when enrolling in the program. According to the Daily Mail, the program is targeting areas of the city with the highest rate of low birth weights, which includes Cobbs Creek, Strawberry Mansion, and Nicetown-Tioga. Currently, the program operates by a lottery system in which women apply and are randomly selected to participate.
The program, which officially launched in June, drew inspiration from (among other things) a similar program in Manitoba, Canada. That program provided pregnant mothers with $81 CAD, and saw an associated 21% drop in low birth weights, and a 17% drop in premature births, according to a study.
As of mid-September, only 111 of the 250 spots had reportedly been filled, but officials hope to fill the entire program before the end of the year.
READ: ‘Let the babies fight’: Parents of preemie home from NICU urge others not to give up
The overarching goal of the program is to address disparities of maternal and infant outcomes, and close the gap on racial disparities.
“The infant mortality rate for black infants in Philadelphia is well over three times higher than that of a white infant in Philadelphia,” Stacey Kallem, who directs the Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health at the city health department told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The community told us to tie the guaranteed income amount to something that’s a meaningful line item in a monthly budget. So we looked at various budget calculators for Philadelphia and for a family of four, a monthly budget for housing is around $1,000 a month.”
The program has no strings attached to how mothers spend the money. According to Nia Coaxum, program manager for Philly Joy Bank, “This money is unrestricted. They can use it to meet their needs as they see fit.”
Dr. Stacey Kallem, director of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, stressed that “the no-strings-attached is key,” adding, “We are respecting the dignity and autonomy of program participants to use the funds as they see fit to improve their health and the health of their babies.”
“All your money has to go to bills, all your money has to make sure you have food on the table or a roof over your head,” one program hopeful, Imani Davis, told the Philadelphia Tribune at the program’s launch event, “so you might not have extra money for a stroller or a crib. This is where the guaranteed income will make an impact.”
According to OptionLine’s location search tool, there are also multiple pregnancy centers in the Philadelphia area that can assist women with tangible resources like cribs, strollers, and other baby and pregnancy supplies, in addition to parenting classes and other support.
Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health will be analyzing the final results of the new Philadelphia program, according to Axios.
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