Supplying baby's needs: Newborn kits alleviating stress for parents
Newsy
The pilot program tested in multiple states gives new parents information on mental health, government resources and postpartum care.
The Biden administration says it hopes to get all babies off to an "equal start." Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services rolled out Newborn Supply Kits filled with necessities for babies and parents, including high-ticket items.
The pilot program tested in Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico also gives new parents information on mental health, government resources and postpartum care.
The states were chosen due to high rates of poverty, maternal mortality and postpartum depression with hopes of easing some of the burden.
Some 3,000 kits are being distributed through hospitals, community organizations and via caregivers, like doulas.
"Knowing that this kit is coming to you, that gives you some of those basic necessities you would need right at the time of birth, will hopefully alleviate some of that immediate stress, both from a financial and emotional perspective that you're feeling," Caryn Marks, director of strategic partnerships with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told Scripps News.
