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According to the Ohio Department of Health, the leading cause of infant death in Ohio is preterm birth (30%) followed by birth defects (19%) and sleep-related deaths (<14%). Current data states that the state of Ohio ranks 39th in the country for infant mortality! Moms2B is here to help women at high risk for infant mortality learn tools that will enable them to make healthier choices and deliver healthy, full-term infants.

Learn how to have a healthy baby and pregnancy, talk with health care professionals, share a meal and make new friends at a Prenatal Education Session. Sessions are held every week, and we provide transportation assistance, free supervised playtime and incentives for attendance.

About Moms2B

About Moms2B

The Moms2B program was founded in 2010 by:
  • Patricia Gabbe, MD, pediatrician, clinical researcher and professor
  • Twinkle French Schottke, infant mental health specialist and program director

Moms2B is an innovative, community-based pregnancy program for low-income women established by The Ohio State University in 2010. Moms2B is designed to:

  • Improve the health status of at-risk communities
  • Empower pregnant women to deliver full-term healthy babies
  • Reduce the number of low birthweight infants
  • Reduce infant mortality
  • Eliminate racial and economic disparities

Moms2B is a proven group model and has made significant positive impacts on infant mortality in Franklin County. Since the program began, the infant mortality rate in Franklin County has improved from 9.6 in 2011 to 6.9, based on data from Columbus Public Health. This most recent data is the first time the IMR has dropped below 7.0 annually in the past decade and suggests that programs that address infant deaths, including Moms2B, are making an impact. However, like the rest of Ohio, racial and ethnic disparities persist, represented by the infant mortality rates for blacks and whites disparity ratio of 2.6 for 2019.

Moms2B can reach more pregnant moms in high-risk areas through our virtual sessions. Because of COVID19, we have started weekly Zoom sessions with our moms. We are determined to continue our educational program and support during this trying time. We are always accepting new pregnant moms to the program.

The new Ohio State Community Care Coach launched in January 2020 will provide access to prenatal care and postpartum care visits at three Moms2B neighborhood sites. Healthy moms and healthy babies are our #1 priority. The Ohio State Community Care Coach helps to ensure access for our moms to receive that care.

For more information about the program, call 614-292-1605.

Please direct all media inquiries to Public Affairs and Media Relations at 614-293-3737.

What We Do

What We Do

Our Purpose:
Targeting central Ohio ZIP codes with the highest infant mortality rates, Moms2B provides weekly education and support sessions to high-risk pregnant women to promote healthier lifestyle choices and link them with resources.

Our Goal:
The goal of Moms2B is for all participants to deliver healthy, full-term infants that live to celebrate their first birthday. Moms2B encourages all pregnant women to participate and invites them to stay in the program during their infant’s first year of life.

Our Approach:
Moms2B educates through a multidisciplinary team approach. Health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers, dietitians, lactation counselors, navigators, community health workers and health care students, listen and learn from everyone attending Moms2B.

The education topics, specifically designed to address concerns and questions of Moms2B participants, focus on:

  • Breastfeeding
  • Nutrition
  • Stress reduction
  • Child development
  • Family planning
  • Goal setting
  • Early prenatal care
  • Labor and delivery
  • Maternal-infant health
  • Positive parenting
  • Reproductive health
  • Safe sleep and more!

Each program session is delivered in a supportive environment, encouraging and empowering moms to take ownership of their choices, often leading to newfound independence after the baby’s delivery and beyond.

Moms2B even provides a healthy and hot meal with every session. This supplements the diets of participants, their support person and their other children, as 85% report experiencing food shortages at home within the past year. On-site free supervised playtime is also provided for all program participants; this allows moms to engage and interact not only with the education, but also with fellow participants. Pre-registration is not required. Please call 614-292-1605 for more details.

Making A Difference

Making a Difference

The Moms2B program continues to grow:
  • Over nine years, more than 2,500 pregnant women have attended at least one of our Moms2B sessions.
  • In 2019, we welcomed 600 new, expectant Moms.
  • On average, 120 pregnant and parenting women attend one of our locations weekly.
  • Women attending Moms2B have babies born at healthier weights and fewer born prematurely.
  • When carefully studied by Ohio State biostatisticians, a group of 675, predominantly African American (72%) Moms2B gave birth to fewer low birthweight babies (9.5% vs 12% expected) and had fewer preterm births.
  • Moms2B has also welcomed many sets of twins and one set of triplets.
Program founder, Patricia Gabbe, MD, MPH, on the women in Moms2B:

“Their resilience, positive attitudes and strength in the face of such incredible obstacles inspires me to stay committed to our program and try to make a positive lifelong difference for them.”

Beyond the obvious relief of delivering a healthy baby, there are significant financial implications as well:

  • Reducing prematurity results in significant cost avoidance for the Medicaid program.
  • The medical costs for a premature or low birthweight infant is approximately $55,000 in the first year of life alone. Whereas the medical costs for an infant born full term is less than $4,000 annually.
  • With our impact on decreasing the number of babies born preterm or low birthweight, we estimate a cost savings for Medicaid of at least $300,000 per year.

Prenatal Education Sessions

Prenatal Educational Sessions

Prenatal Educational Sessions

Learn how to have a healthy baby and pregnancy, talk with healthcare professionals, share a meal and make new friends at a Prenatal Education Session. Sessions are held every week, and we provide transportation assistance, free supervised playtime and incentives for attendance. Call us at 614-292-1605 to learn more.

JOIN US TO:

Learn how to have healthy baby and pregnancy, talk with healthcare professionals, share a meal and make new friends.

WE OFFER:

Transportation assistance, free supervised playtime and incentives for attendance

Our Locations


Our Partners

Our Partners

As a nonprofit, Moms2B is completely reliant on our generous donors, partners and volunteers. This includes:
  • The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
  • Nationwide Children’s Hospital
  • Mount Carmel Health System and Foundation
  • CelebrateOne
  • The Ohio Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
  • United Way of Central Ohio
  • The Kroger Company
  • The Columbus Foundation
  • The Crane Group
  • The Columbus Kiwanis Club
  • AMAG Pharmaceuticals
  • Columbus Medical Association Foundation
  • Ohio State Outreach and Engagement
  • Ohio State Extension Office
  • Ohio State East Hospital
  • Dads2B
  • Weinland Park Collaborative
  • Grace Missionary Baptist Church
  • New Salem Baptist Church
  • Community Development for All People
  • Hillcrest Baptist Church
  • Epworth United Methodist Church
  • New Birth Christian Ministries
  • Temple Israel
  • Columbus Public Health Department
  • The Mid-Ohio Food Collective
  • Life Care Alliance
  • And the many community volunteers who help us every day with donations, child care and encouragement

Contact Us

Contact Us

Moms2B
921 Chatham Lane
Suite 300
Columbus, Ohio 43221

For more information about the program, call 614-292-1605.

Please direct all media inquiries to Public Affairs and Media Relations at 614-293-3737.

Email: Moms2B@osumc.edu

Moms2B Is Helping Expectant Moms Have Healthy Babies

Moms2B provides weekly education and support sessions to promote healthy lifestyle choices and link Moms with support services. Our education topics focus on: breastfeeding, child development, family planning, goal setting, labor and delivery, maternal-infant health, positive parenting, reproductive health, safe sleep and more!
 
In addition to Moms2B being FREE to attend, our “bonus features” include a $5 Kroger gift card for attendance, transportation assistance, on-site free supervised playtime and a hot, healthy meal. We also spend a lot of time connecting our Moms to other Columbus-based programs for assistance.
How Can I Help?

How Can I Help?

Understanding the Need for Prenatal Care

Prematurity, congenital anomalies and obstetric conditions account for many infant deaths; sudden infant deaths, (sleep related) and injuries also contribute.

Piechart_2018 Piechart_2018

 



Proportion of Causes of Infant Death in Ohio (2016)

Piegraph_2018 Piegraph_2018
Infant Mortality is defined by The Centers for Disease Control as the death of a living baby before his/her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is an estimate of the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births.
  • The infant mortality rate directly reflects maternal and infant health AND the health of the community they live in.
  • In 2018 Ohio’s infant mortality rate improved to 6.9, short of the 2020 Healthy People goal of 6.0; and Ohio still ranks among the states with the highest infant death rates.
  • 938 babies died in 2018. A high disparity ratio continues with white rates of 5.4 and 553 deaths, while Black babies died three times more often, with 339 deaths and a rate of 13.9.
  • Why should Black babies die at 2-3 times the rate of White babies?
  • Moms2B dedicates its program to eliminating this disparity and to helping all pregnant women deliver healthy babies that live to celebrate their first birthdays.
  • Over the past five years, our Franklin County infant mortality rate declined for all babies; while Cuyahoga and Hamilton Counties did not see comparable improvements as shown below.

Linegraph Linegraph

 

For more information,
Call 614-292-1605

Two moms share their experience with Moms2B


Moms2B is a proud member of the Kroger Community Rewards Program.  Enroll today and help Moms2B support Columbus area mothers overcome social determinants of health and raise healthy, happy babies!

Kroger Community Rewards

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