Providence Receives $100,000 Grant from CareFirst to Support its Efforts to Lower Infant Mortality in the Metropolitan Area

Providence Hospital was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to help fund the Teen CenteringPregnancy® program at Providence’s Center for Life (CFL). The CenteringPregnancy’s® group health care format addresses needs that are unique to young teens: helping them to feel comfortable and supported, and providing more time for important pre-natal education.

Washington, DC (December 8, 2010 ) (Vocus/PRWEB) December 16, 2010

Providence Hospital was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to help fund the Teen CenteringPregnancy® program at Providence’s Center for Life (CFL). The CenteringPregnancy’s® group health care format addresses needs that are unique to young teens: helping them to feel comfortable and supported, and providing more time for important pre-natal education.

“The group format—with its emphasis on assessment, education, and support—is an ideal model for pregnant adolescents. Teen CenteringPregnancy® promotes peer support within a safe environment, empowering teens as they negotiate their transition to parenthood. It consistently demonstrates higher rates of positive birth outcomes.”
——Debra Keith, CNM
Director of the Center for Life and CenteringPregnancy®

The pattern of poor birth outcomes, like infant mortality, in the District is among the worst in the country compared to cities of similar demographics. In the most recent state comparisons and based on National Center for Health Statistics data, the District has the worst infant mortality rate in the nation – 13.1 percent compared to the national average of 6.7 percent.

The hands on, interactive, group care model of Providence’s Teen CenteringPregnancy® is an innovative way to combat the alarming statistics affecting adolescent mothers. Providence seeks to continue to create and implement best practices and ground-breaking programs like Teen CenteringPregnancy® that promote preventive care.

The program, which will also use a home visiting component, fits in well with CareFirst’s funding priorities such as improving access to health care and reducing health care disparities. CareFirst, the largest health care insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region, has previously support the efforts of CenteringPregnancy® at Providence Hospital.

About Providence Hospital – For 150 years, Providence Hospital has provided landmark medical care for persons in need throughout the metropolitan area. We are the longest continuously operating hospital in the nation’s capital—yet we’re still setting new standards in innovative, state-of-the-art health and wellness services. With strengths in orthopedic care, maternal and infant health, surgery, cardiology, geriatric medicine, cancer treatment, sleep medicine, bariatric services, and stroke care, we combine sophisticated medical technology with spirituality and compassion.

Providence serves with a mission of healing and a dedication to community. Providence is part of Ascension Health, the nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health system, committed to Healthcare That Is Safe, Healthcare That Works, and Healthcare That Leaves No One Behind. Follow us on Twitter - @Providence150or “Like” us on Facebook - Providence150

About CareFirst – In its 74th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health care company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to nearly 3.4 million individuals and groups in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Through its CareFirst Commitment initiative and other public mission activities, CareFirst supports efforts to increase the accessibility, affordability, safety and quality of health care throughout its market areas. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit there Web site at http://www.carefirst.com or follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CareFirst_News.

###