Latest news with #MarchofDimes
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Doctors fear ‘devastating consequences' for pregnant people after RFK Jr order on Covid-19 boosters
Advocates for pregnant people said they are alarmed by Robert F Kennedy Jr's unprecedented and unilateral decision to remove Covid-19 booster shots from the recommended immunization schedule. A vaccine's inclusion on the schedule is important for patient access, because many private health insurance plans determine which vaccines to cover based on the schedule. 'Covid-19's impact on pregnancy is deeply personal to me,' said Dr Amanda Williams, interim chief medical officer at March of Dimes, a nonprofit focused on the health of mothers and babies, in a statement. 'During the height of the pandemic, I cared for a healthy patient who was 32 weeks pregnant and tragically died from Covid-19 despite state-of-the-art medical care. One of her last words was that she wished she had taken the vaccine.' The Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM), experts on high-risk pregnancy, said in a statement that it 'strongly reaffirms its recommendation that pregnant patients receive the Covid-19 vaccine', and that the vaccine is safe to receive at any time during pregnancy. In a statement, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said it was, 'concerned about and extremely disappointed', in the announcement. 'We also understand that despite the change in recommendations from HHS, the science has not changed,' said Dr Steven J Fleischman, ACOG president. 'It is very clear that Covid-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families,' said Fleischman. Kennedy made the announcement Tuesday on social media, flanked by Trump administration appointees to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – neither of whom are typically involved in such decisions. Typically, changes to the recommended vaccine schedule are based on the open public debate and recommendation of an independent panel of experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Kennedy's announcement circumvented both the CDC and its advisory panel, and neither body was advised of the forthcoming decision, sources told STAT. The CDC is currently without a leader. A directive making the change official, also reported by STAT, suggested that Kennedy reviewed the evidence with the FDA. That agency's advisory committee, which is structured similarly to the CDC's, was also bypassed. Just a week earlier, FDA head Dr Marty Makary published a similarly unprecedented article in the New England Journal of Medicine that described pregnancy and recent pregnancy as one a list of 'underlying medical conditions that can increase a person's risk of severe Covid-19'. As of Tuesday, the CDC's website continued to state that those who are pregnant are at increased risk of severe illness if they contract Covid-19, including heightened risk of hospitalization and the need for intensive care. Further, evidence shows that mothers who are vaccinated pass protective immunity to infants, without the many risks that come alongside Covid-19 infection during pregnancy. Infants younger than six months old are at the highest risk of severe disease among children, with the risk to children younger than four years old on par with that of 50-64-year-old adults, according to the Journal article. 'Kennedy's unilateral decision to change the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for Covid-19 vaccines demonstrates once again why he is completely unqualified to be the HHS secretary,' said Dr Robert Steinbrook, research director at consumer rights group Public Citizen, said in a statement. 'In Congressional testimony on May 14, Kennedy said, 'I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me.' Yet two weeks later he is making arbitrary public health decisions, defying norms, and with no accountability.' Despite the known risks of contracting Covid-19 while pregnant, public health authorities have struggled to get pregnant people vaccinated. CDC data shows only about 14% of pregnant people received the most recently updated Covid-19 vaccine. Kennedy's decision to unilaterally change the vaccine recommendation comes as some of his supporters, particularly anti-vaccine advocates, continue to call for Covid-19 vaccines to be completely removed from the market.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Philips and March of Dimes Bring Maternal and Pregnancy Health Content to Philips Avent Pregnancy+ App
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 2025-- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and March of Dimes, the nation's leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, today announced a collaboration aimed at improving maternal health education through the Philips Avent Pregnancy+ app. Philips will integrate essential March of Dimes content into the app to help improve health literacy and create awareness for topics such as preparing for a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay, preterm birth, and vaccinations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Philips Avent Pregnancy+ app featuring March of Dimes Content The new content will also emphasize the benefits of low dose aspirin, when clinically appropriate, as a preventive treatment for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, aligning with March of Dimes' Low Dose, Big Benefits Campaign. In addition, Philips and March of Dimes will collaborate to identify key research areas, leveraging aggregated app data and surveys to gather valuable insights that will help both organizations further educate and support the needs of mothers and babies. 'Our partnership with Philips reflects our shared commitment to ensuring families have access to trusted, timely information throughout pregnancy,' said Kelly Ernst, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at March of Dimes. 'Whether it's through our Mom and Baby Mobile Health Centers® or expanding digital health literacy via the Pregnancy+ app, we're meeting families where they are. Initiatives like this represent a meaningful step forward in our mission to improve health outcomes for all moms and babies—and it's partnerships like this that make that progress possible.' Pregnancy+, the world's #1 pregnancy app with more than 80 million lifetime downloads, provides information and guidance throughout a pregnancy including over 800 articles, lifelike 3D baby models, a weekly pregnancy tracker, and audio/video courses led by health and well-being experts. Philips will create awareness campaigns highlighting the new March of Dimes content, including relevant links and assets, that will have broad reach across the United States through the Pregnancy+ app. 'As we continue to seek solutions to address maternal health challenges, initiatives like this can contribute to meaningful change,' said Brenda Kapner, Regional Business Unit Leader, Mother & Childcare, Philips North America. 'By combining our expertise and resources with those of March of Dimes, we aim to deliver accessible education and insights, while utilizing advanced data analysis to better understand and meet the needs of mothers and babies. Together, we have the opportunity to significantly impact maternal and child health outcomes.' About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips' patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,200 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at About March of Dimes March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, education, and advocacy, and provide programs and services 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. Visit or for more information. View source version on CONTACT: Avi Dines Philips North America Tel: +1-781-690-3814 Email:[email protected] KEYWORD: VIRGINIA MASSACHUSETTS EUROPE UNITED STATES NETHERLANDS NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: APPS/APPLICATIONS TECHNOLOGY PARENTING CHILDREN BABY/MATERNITY OTHER HEALTH HEALTH CONSUMER GENERAL HEALTH SOURCE: Royal Philips Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/28/2025 07:18 AM/DISC: 05/28/2025 07:17 AM
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Philips and March of Dimes Bring Maternal and Pregnancy Health Content to Philips Avent Pregnancy+ App
Collaboration designed to enhance health awareness for moms during pregnancy and improve health outcomes Aggregated analytics data and surveys from app will help provide maternal health insights CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & ARLINGTON, Va., May 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and March of Dimes, the nation's leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, today announced a collaboration aimed at improving maternal health education through the Philips Avent Pregnancy+ app. Philips will integrate essential March of Dimes content into the app to help improve health literacy and create awareness for topics such as preparing for a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay, preterm birth, and vaccinations. The new content will also emphasize the benefits of low dose aspirin, when clinically appropriate, as a preventive treatment for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, aligning with March of Dimes' Low Dose, Big Benefits Campaign. In addition, Philips and March of Dimes will collaborate to identify key research areas, leveraging aggregated app data and surveys to gather valuable insights that will help both organizations further educate and support the needs of mothers and babies. "Our partnership with Philips reflects our shared commitment to ensuring families have access to trusted, timely information throughout pregnancy," said Kelly Ernst, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at March of Dimes. "Whether it's through our Mom and Baby Mobile Health Centers® or expanding digital health literacy via the Pregnancy+ app, we're meeting families where they are. Initiatives like this represent a meaningful step forward in our mission to improve health outcomes for all moms and babies—and it's partnerships like this that make that progress possible." Pregnancy+, the world's #1 pregnancy app with more than 80 million lifetime downloads, provides information and guidance throughout a pregnancy including over 800 articles, lifelike 3D baby models, a weekly pregnancy tracker, and audio/video courses led by health and well-being experts. Philips will create awareness campaigns highlighting the new March of Dimes content, including relevant links and assets, that will have broad reach across the United States through the Pregnancy+ app. "As we continue to seek solutions to address maternal health challenges, initiatives like this can contribute to meaningful change," said Brenda Kapner, Regional Business Unit Leader, Mother & Childcare, Philips North America. "By combining our expertise and resources with those of March of Dimes, we aim to deliver accessible education and insights, while utilizing advanced data analysis to better understand and meet the needs of mothers and babies. Together, we have the opportunity to significantly impact maternal and child health outcomes." About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips' patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,200 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at About March of Dimes March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, education, and advocacy, and provide programs and services 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. Visit or for more information. View source version on Contacts Avi DinesPhilips North AmericaTel: +1-781-690-3814Email: Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Health
- Business Wire
Philips and March of Dimes Bring Maternal and Pregnancy Health Content to Philips Avent Pregnancy+ App
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and March of Dimes, the nation's leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, today announced a collaboration aimed at improving maternal health education through the Philips Avent Pregnancy+ app. Philips will integrate essential March of Dimes content into the app to help improve health literacy and create awareness for topics such as preparing for a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) stay, preterm birth, and vaccinations. The new content will also emphasize the benefits of low dose aspirin, when clinically appropriate, as a preventive treatment for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia, aligning with March of Dimes' Low Dose, Big Benefits Campaign. In addition, Philips and March of Dimes will collaborate to identify key research areas, leveraging aggregated app data and surveys to gather valuable insights that will help both organizations further educate and support the needs of mothers and babies. 'Our partnership with Philips reflects our shared commitment to ensuring families have access to trusted, timely information throughout pregnancy,' said Kelly Ernst, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer at March of Dimes. 'Whether it's through our Mom and Baby Mobile Health Centers® or expanding digital health literacy via the Pregnancy+ app, we're meeting families where they are. Initiatives like this represent a meaningful step forward in our mission to improve health outcomes for all moms and babies—and it's partnerships like this that make that progress possible.' Pregnancy+, the world's #1 pregnancy app with more than 80 million lifetime downloads, provides information and guidance throughout a pregnancy including over 800 articles, lifelike 3D baby models, a weekly pregnancy tracker, and audio/video courses led by health and well-being experts. Philips will create awareness campaigns highlighting the new March of Dimes content, including relevant links and assets, that will have broad reach across the United States through the Pregnancy+ app. 'As we continue to seek solutions to address maternal health challenges, initiatives like this can contribute to meaningful change,' said Brenda Kapner, Regional Business Unit Leader, Mother & Childcare, Philips North America. 'By combining our expertise and resources with those of March of Dimes, we aim to deliver accessible education and insights, while utilizing advanced data analysis to better understand and meet the needs of mothers and babies. Together, we have the opportunity to significantly impact maternal and child health outcomes.' About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips' patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2024 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 67,200 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at About March of Dimes March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, education, and advocacy, and provide programs and services 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. Visit or for more information.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Rural patients face tough choices when their hospitals stop delivering babies
WINNER, S.D. - Sophie Hofeldt planned to receive prenatal care and give birth at her local hospital, 10 minutes from her house. Instead, she's driving more than three hours round trip for her appointments. The hospital, Winner Regional Health, recently joined the increasing number of rural hospitals shuttering their birthing units. "It's going to be a lot more of a stress and a hassle for women to get the health care that they need because they have to go so much further," said Hofeldt, who has a June 10 due date for her first child. Hofeldt said longer drives mean spending more on gas - and a higher risk of not making it to the hospital in time. "My main concern is having to give birth in a car," she said. More than 100 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies since 2021, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, a nonprofit organization. Such closures are often blamed on shortages of staff and money. About 58% of South Dakota counties have no birthing facilities, the second-highest rate among states, after North Dakota, according to March of Dimes. And the South Dakota health department says pregnant womenand infants in the state, especially those who are Black or Native American, experience high rates of complications and death. Winner Regional Health serves rural communities, including parts of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, in South Dakota and Nebraska. It delivered 107 babies last year, down from 158 in 2021, said CEO Brian Williams. The nearest birthing hospitals are in rural towns an hour or more from Winner. But several women said driving to those facilities would take them through areas without reliable cellphone service, which could be a problem if they have an emergency along the way. KFF Health News spoke with five patients from the Winner area who planned to deliver at Avera St. Mary's Hospital in Pierre, about 90 miles from Winner, or at one of the large medical centers in Sioux Falls, 170 miles away. Hofeldt and her boyfriend drive every three weeks to her prenatal appointments at the Pierre hospital, which serves the small capital city and vast surrounding rural area. She'll have to make weekly trips closer to her due date. Neither of their jobs provides paid time off for such appointments. "When you have to go to Pierre, you have to take almost the whole day off," said Hofeldt, who was born at the Winner hospital. That means forfeiting pay while spending extra money on travel. Not everyone has gas money, let alone access to a car, and bus services are scarce in rural America. Some women also need to pay for child care during their appointments. And when the baby comes, family members may need to pay for a hotel. Amy Lueking, Hofeldt's doctor in Pierre, said when patients can't overcome these barriers, obstetricians can give them home monitoring devices and offer phone- or video-based care. Patients can also receive prenatal care at a local hospital or clinic before connecting with a doctor at a birthing hospital, Lueking said. However, some rural areas don't have access to telehealth. And some patients, such as Hofeldt, don't want to split up their care, form relationships with two doctors, and deal with logistics like transferring medical records. During a recent appointment, Lueking glided an ultrasound device over Hofeldt's uterus. The "woosh-woosh" rhythm of the fetal heartbeat thumped over the monitor. "I think it's the best sound in the whole wide world," Lueking said. Hofeldt told Lueking she wanted her first delivery to be "as natural as possible." But ensuring a birth goes according to plan can be difficult for rural patients. To guarantee they make it to the hospital on time, some schedule an induction, in which doctors use medicine or procedures to stimulate labor. Katie Larson lives on a ranch near Winner in the town of Hamill, population 14. She had hoped to avoid having her labor induced. Larson wanted to wait until her contractions began naturally, then drive to Avera St. Mary's in Pierre. But she scheduled an induction in case she didn't go into labor by April 13, her due date. Larson ended up having to reschedule for April 8 to avoid a conflict with an important cattle sale she and her husband were preparing for. "People are going to be either forced to pick an induction date when it wasn't going to be their first choice or they're going to run the risk of having a baby on the side of the road," she said. Lueking said it's very rare for people to give birth while heading to the hospital in a car or ambulance. But last year, she said, five women who planned to deliver in Pierre ended up delivering in other hospitals' emergency rooms after rapidly progressing labor or weather made it too risky to drive long distances. Nanette Eagle Star's plan was to deliver at the Winner hospital, five minutes from home, until the hospital announced it would be closing its labor and delivery unit. She then decided to give birth in Sioux Falls, because her family could save money by staying with relatives there. Eagle Star's plan changed again when she went into early labor and the weather was too dangerous to drive or take a medical helicopter to Sioux Falls. "It happened so fast, in the middle of a snowstorm," she said. Eagle Star delivered at the Winner hospital after all, but in the ER, without an epidural pain blocker since no anesthesiologist was available. It was just three days after the birthing unit closed. The end of labor and delivery services at Winner Regional Health isn't just a health issue, local women said. It also has emotional and financial impacts on the community. Eagle Star fondly recalls going to doctor appointments with her sisters when she was a child. As soon as they arrived, they'd head to a hallway with baby photos taped to the wall and begin "a scavenger hunt" for Polaroids of themselves and their relatives. "On both sides it was just filled with babies' pictures," Eagle Star said. She remembers thinking, "look at all these cute babies that were born here in Winner." Hofeldt said many locals are sad their babies won't be born in the same hospital they were. Anora Henderson, a family physician, said a lack of maternity care can lead to poor outcomes for infants. Those babies may develop health problems that will require lifelong, often expensive care and other public support. "There is a community effect," she said. "It's just not as visible and it's farther down the road." Henderson resigned in May from Winner Regional Health, where she delivered vaginal births and assisted on cesarean sections. The last baby she delivered was Eagle Star's. To be designated a birthing hospital, facilities must be able to conduct C-sections and provide anesthesia 24/7, Henderson explained. Williams, the hospital's CEO, said Winner Regional Health hasn't been able to recruit enough medical professionals trained in those skills. For the last several years, the hospital was only able to offer birthing services by spending about $1.2 million a year on temporary physicians, he said, and it could no longer afford to do that. Another financial challenge is that many births at rural hospitals are covered by Medicaid, the federal and state program serving people with low incomes or disabilities. The program typically pays about half of what private insurers do for childbirth services, according to a 2022 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Williams said about 80% of deliveries at Winner Regional Health were covered by Medicaid. Obstetric units are often the biggest financial drain on rural hospitals, and therefore they're frequently the first to close when a hospital is struggling, the GAO report said. Williams said the hospital still provides prenatal care and that he'd love to restart deliveries if he could hire enough staff. Henderson, the physician who resigned from the Winner hospital, has witnessed the decline in rural maternity care over decades. She remembers tagging along with her mother for appointments before her sister was born. Her mother traveled about 100 miles each way after the hospital in the town of Kadoka shuttered in 1979. Henderson practiced for nearly 22 years at Winner Regional Health, sparing women from having to travel to give birth like her mother did. Over the years, she took in new patients as a nearby rural hospital and then an Indian Health Service facility closed their birthing units. Then, Henderson's own hospital stopped deliveries. "What's really frustrating me now is I thought I was going to go into family medicine and work in a rural area and that's how we were going to fix this, so people didn't have to drive 100 miles to have a baby," she said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
