KU News Service
WICHITA — Kansas expectant moms in nearly all of the state’s counties, including Ellis County, now have the opportunity to participate in a free prenatal education program offered through KU School of Medicine-Wichita.
A $150,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is funding a significant expansion of the Baby Talk program, which data shows has helped lower the risk of premature births and other health risks of participating expectant moms and their babies.
Regardless of their insurance status, any expectant mom who is under 32 weeks pregnant and lives in the Kansas counties served by BCBSKS is eligible to participate in the six-week 12-hour program. BCBSKS serves 103 of Kansas’ 105 counties; BCBS of Kansas City serves Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
The BCBSKS grant will allow Baby Talk to serve 250 expectant moms this year, while funding from other sources, including the Kansas Department of Health and Education, will fund nearly 500 participants.
The partnership is an ideal fit for two programs focused on improving health outcomes in Kansas, say BCBSKS and Baby Talk officials.
The BCBSKS grant is part of the insurance company’s Blue Health Initiatives, a program launched in 2016 to impact the quality of life in Kansas communities.
“This (partnership) aligns with our maternal health and health equity initiatives,” said Sonia Jordan, health equity manager with BCBSKS.
Baby Talk started in 2015 as an effort to address the high infant mortality rate, particularly among Black and Hispanic communities, in Sedgwick County, which has historically had significantly higher average rates than that of Kansas and the United States.
In 2023, with pilot funding from another grant, Baby Talk was expanded to serve KanCare-insured expectant moms in the state. KanCare is the state’s managed care program for Medicaid consumers.
Kansas continues to consistently have a higher infant mortality rate than the national average, according to Cari Schmidt, Ph.D., a research professor and director of the research division in the KUSM-Wichita Department of Pediatrics. Schmidt founded the KUSM-Wichita Center for Research for Infant Birth & Survival (CRIBS), which incorporates several initiatives to reduce infant deaths, including Baby Talk.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births in Kansas was 5.81, while the national average was 5.61 in 2022, the latest year data is available. Kansas rates have been even higher in the past decade, according to the CDC database.
Since its inception, Baby Talk has served more than 3,000 pregnant moms, with program participants having a 37% lower risk of preterm births than the general population, Schmidt said.
Almost all participants, at least 95% or more, have incorporated practices covered in the program, including breastfeeding, safe sleeping arrangements, and following up on postpartum and infant checkups, she said.
The Baby Talk sessions are available virtually and are taught by labor and delivery nurses in Wichita. A Spanish-speaking instructor teaches a Spanish version.
“Our instructors do a great job of connecting with the participants,” said Joy Miller, maternal child health program manager for Baby Talk.
Participants include first-time expectant moms as well as those who already have children and want the latest information on maternal health care.
One participant recently recognized the warning signs of preeclampsia, which had been covered in the sessions, and sought immediate care for it, Miller said. Preeclampsia, a serious blood pressure condition that can affect other organs, can lead to several complications including death for both the mother and baby.
To supplement the virtual sessions, binders with handouts and other educational materials are provided to participants. After finishing the program, participants can choose to receive a car seat, portable crib or a breastfeeding pillow.
“We do know that (maternal health care) access, especially in Kansas’ rural areas, is one of the issues that we see for care, so we feel that being able to have the virtual version of Baby Talk available … would help to address a piece of that gap in care,” said Virginia Barnes, MPH, director of Blue Health Initiatives with BCBSKS.
“Severe maternal health problems and morbidity and infant morbidity are serious health problems that are costly, and we see different impacts across our member population. If we can get programs that can address that, we are not only helping the moms and babies but also reducing the costs overall for all members,” she said.