Tag Archives: low income

First trimester care: A problematic start to pregnancy



1 in 3 babies in Arlington does not get seen by a healthcare provider during the first trimester of pregnancy.
By Lindsey Hill, Intern




This earliest phase of pregnancy contains the highest number of essential developmental milestones for both mother and baby. During this period, the baby’s organ systems and body structure develop, even tiny miracles as small as fingernail growth occur. As you can imagine, prenatal care, especially in the first trimester, is vital to both the pregnant mother and the development of a healthy baby.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, the percentage of women in Arlington seeking a healthcare professional in their first trimester remains relatively low. In 2018, only around 60% of expectant mothers in Arlington sought care in this critical period. While low-income pregnant women face the difficulties of being underinsured and finding or qualifying for healthcare programs, they also experience obstacles to care including transportation issues, lack of providers, language barriers, childcare needs, and the consequences of missed work. As much as these moms want to get the best possible care for their babies, countless roadblocks often stand in their way.

Why is needing care in the first trimester of pregnancy so important? Healthcare appointments in the earliest stage of pregnancy include physical exams and prenatal tests for mom and screenings to assess the health of the baby. These appointments help determine, find, and if necessary, prevent any foreseen problems or complications with the pregnancy. Expectant mothers also learn crucial information about their pregnancy as well as have the opportunity to ask their provider any questions they may have. Increasing the number of women who receive these early stages of care can reduce the likelihood of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, but the longer this care is prolonged, the more health risks the mother and unborn baby face.

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson foundation strives to serve the economically vulnerable mothers and infants of Arlington by giving them a fair start at life through access to quality pre and postnatal healthcare and support. We envision a community where every mother and newborn child receives the support they need to thrive– regardless of race, color, creed, or economic status. This is accomplished through innovative programs such as the tele-health project that increased monitoring access for pregnant women who do not have the option to take time off work or travel for frequent medical appointments. 

Care in the first trimester is critical for expectant mothers. The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation is driven to provide women with more access to first trimester care as well as education about their pregnancies. Affordable healthcare is not always easily accessible, but coming to better understand the various barriers mothers face, we hope to better serve the community.

Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Funds Pilot OB Connect Program

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THE JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION FUNDS PILOT OB CONNECT PROGRAM

CONTACT
Kelly Garrity
703-462-2336, kgarrity@jb-lf.org

Arlington, VA: June 2021 –

Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JBLF) provided $38,000 to the Virginia Hospital Center for the pilot of the Hospital’s OB Connect program, which provides patients with the flexibility to receive prenatal care from home.

“Just as people have gotten used to tracking their health with watches and other wearable devices, our patients have easy-to-use home monitoring equipment to keep their OB/GYN provider apprised of their vital signs,” said Amanda Rohn, MD, FACOG, VHC Physician Group-OB/GYN. “VHC OB Connect represents a new age of medicine, where we are using technology to make care more convenient for patients and, at the same time, giving them greater access to their healthcare providers.”

Rather than visiting the office for every appointment, OB Connect patients schedule some remote appointments, called Continuing Care Visits, via secure video. The program provides participants with a fetal Doppler to check their baby’s heart rate and an electronic blood pressure cuff for personal blood pressure monitoring. Patients then report these readings to their nurses two days before each appointment through the MyVHC patient portal, allowing nurses to review results and consult doctors and midwives as needed. 

“VHC’s OB Connect program is an essential step in the movement for accessible prenatal care for economically vulnerable moms,” said Neal Lawson, founder and chair of the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation. “With virtual appointments, patients will not have to take time off work, pay for childcare or parking, or rush to appointments. We hope that by funding this program, we can reduce the financial burdens and added stress that so often come with seeking care during pregnancy.”

The JBLF grant provides funding for OB Connect Nurses, at-home care kits for patients, the OB Connect educational app, and the printing and translation of program materials to Spanish for increased accessibility. Additionally, the donation allows patients of VHC’s Outpatient Clinic to access this brand-new program free of charge.

“We cannot thank the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation enough for their generous donation to Virginia Hospital Center,” said Michelle Altman, MBA, MSN, RN, Patient Care Director. “The OB Connect program is transformational for our Outpatient Clinic patients, providing them with reliable access to convenient, top-quality prenatal care.”

The OB Connect program is closely connected to the mission of the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation. Founded in honor of Jenn Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the organization works to increase access to quality maternal and infant care for economically vulnerable families.

The VHC Physician Group-OB/GYN is the first and only OB/GYN practice in the area to offer a service of this type to their patients. The program is now in full force at VHC, and recently, the first mother to enroll in the program completed a successful delivery.

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Established in honor of Jennifer Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serves economically vulnerable mothers and infants by working to increase access to high-quality maternal and pediatric health care and support. Jennifer was a loving, dedicated mother of three, driven to advocacy after receiving high-quality care during her own complicated pregnancies. JB-LF seeks to embody her generous spirit by giving all mothers and newborns the means to thrive.

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Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Funded Telemedicine Program Shows Promising Results

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THE JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION FUNDED VHC OUTPATIENT CLINIC TELEMEDICINE PROGRAM REDUCES NEED FOR C-SECTIONS, NICU ADMISSIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT
Kelly Garrity
703-462-2336, kgarrity@jb-lf.org

Arlington, VA: July 20, 2020 – A pilot program exploring the impact of telemedicine on outcomes for high-risk maternity patients and patients with chronic medical conditions run by Virginia Hospital Center (VHC), a community-based hospital providing medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 75 years, with support from the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JBLF) has made a remarkable impact on the lives of low-income, high-risk individuals who may not have otherwise had access to consistent, quality healthcare.

As of December 31, 2019, the telemedicine program has resulted in:

  • A 25.7 percent reduction in c-section rates for high-risk pregnancies;
  • A 61.5 percent reduction in NICU admissions for newborns;
  • A 65.2 percent reduction in emergency room visits;
  • A 56.1 percent reduction in hospital admissions; and
  • A 69.2 percent increase in the number of hypertension patients who achieved their goal blood pressure.

“Telemedicine involves patients as active participants in managing their care, ensuring a higher percentage of healthy outcomes,” said Michelle Altman, MBA, RN, Patient Care Director at the VHC Outpatient Clinic. “Telemedicine patients are more likely to keep scheduled appointments, comply with plans of care and take medications as prescribed which makes them less likely to require a trip to the emergency room or a hospital stay.”

Launched in 2016 with a $275,000 pledge from CareFirst, the pilot program focused primarily on patients with diabetes, blood pressure issues and other concerns that require more consistent monitoring. Throughout the program, more than $120,000 in donations from the JBLF ensured coverage of staff time and allowed the Clinic to establish a more permanent infrastructure for the program which readied the clinic to expand its telemedicine appointments by more than 300 percent following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to provide care to patients without the risk of exposure.

“Providing economically vulnerable women better access to the maternal care they need is at the very core of JBLF’s mission,” said JBLF Executive Director Kelly Garrity. “Programs like this telemedicine pilot are transformative for women with high-risk pregnancies who do not have the option to take time off work or travel for frequent medical appointments.”

The program will continue to operate out of the Virginia Hospital Center Outpatient Clinic, which serves the community by providing healthcare services to patients with or without insurance. The telemedicine program is fully integrated into VHC’s electronic records management system to make it readily accessible for physicians and patients and a Spanish translator is available.

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Established in honor of Jennifer Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serves economically vulnerable mothers and infants by working to increase access to high-quality maternal and pediatric health care and support. Jennifer was a loving, dedicated mother of three, driven to advocacy after receiving high-quality care during her own complicated pregnancies. JB-LF seeks to embody her generous spirit by giving all mothers and newborns the means to thrive.

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Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation Announces $25K Award to Children’s National

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JENNIFER BUSH-LAWSON FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES $25K AWARD TO CHILDREN’S NATIONAL
Inaugural Prize for Prenatal Innovation Award Will Support Research Project to Improve Mental Health in Pregnancy for Low-Income Black Women in Washington, DC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Jennifer Myers
703-462-2336, jmyers@jb-lf.org

Morgan McKean
251-421-1111, mmckean2@childrensnational.org

ARLINGTON, VA, SEPT. 4, 2019 – The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JB-LF) is pleased to announce Children’s National as the winner of the inaugural Prize for Prenatal Innovation, which comes with an award of $25,000. The check will be awarded to Dr. Catherine Limperopoulos by JB-LF Founder Neal Lawson and Executive Director Jennifer Myers on Friday, Sept. 6 at 12pm at Children’s National, located at 111 Michigan Ave. NW. The check awarding event, in the hospital’s Costco Wholesale Atrium, is open to press; please RSVP to info@jb-lf.org.

JB-LF launched the Prize to uncover and support forward-thinking solutions that have the potential to improve access to prenatal care for disadvantaged women in the greater Washington, DC region. This inaugural award will support a citywide research project in Washington, DC, led by Dr. Limperopoulos to develop and implement strategies that reduce obstacles to screening for stress, depression, and anxiety in pregnancy and to provide necessary follow-up resources tailored for low-income black perinatal women.

Stress, depression, and anxiety are the most common complications of pregnancy, affecting up to 25% of women in the prenatal period and/or first postpartum year. For low-income black women, stark disparities cause an even greater burden, with 40% experiencing maternal distress.

The funds provided by JB-LF to Children’s National will specifically underwrite the work of the study’s Stakeholder Engagement Core (SEC), chaired by Robyn Russell and Patricia Quinn, fellows of the DC-Primary Care Association. The SEC will engage black pregnant women, community advocates and clinicians, and representatives from DC Health to adapt and refine proposed interventions. They will also monitor enrollment and follow-up, and disseminate local implementation of the study’s findings. The SEC’s role will ensure community voices strongly inform the research project’s final structure.

“Children’s National is honored to receive the inaugural Jennifer Bush-Lawson Prize for Prenatal Innovation. As a scientist focused on the developing brain, I see how unhealthy environments and maternal stress affect a child’s brain development, even before birth. By connecting with pregnant mothers and empowering them with tools to reduce their own stress and anxiety, we can help their babies have the best possible start to life. We are deeply grateful to the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation for partnering with us to create a citywide network that is strongly informed by community voices,” said Catherine Limperopoulos, PhD, Director and Principal Investigator of the Advanced Pediatric Brain Imaging Research Laboratory, the Center for the Developing Brain; Vice-Chair of Research in Radiology and Co-Director of Research in Newborn Medicine.

“We launched the Prize for Prenatal Innovation because too many vulnerable women don’t receive the type and level of care they need during pregnancy, and we wanted to make a difference. We’re incredibly pleased to partner with Children’s National to support this citywide research project, which could help many women and families now and in years to come,” said Neal Lawson, founder and chair of the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation.

About the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation

Established in honor of Jenn Lawson, who lost her life in 2014, the Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, serves economically vulnerable mothers and infants by working to increase access to high-quality maternal and infant care and support. Jennifer was a loving, dedicated mother of three, driven to advocacy after receiving high-quality care during her own complicated pregnancies. JB-LF seeks to embody her generous spirit by giving all mothers and newborns the means to thrive. More information is available at www.jb-lf.org and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Children’s National

Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has served the nation’s children since 1870. Children’s National is the nation’s No. 6 pediatric hospital and, for the third straight year, is ranked No. 1 in newborn care, as well as ranked in all specialties evaluated by U.S. News & World Report. It has been designated two times as a Magnet® hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. Home to the Children’s Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National is the seventh-highest NIH-funded children’s hospital in the nation. Children’s National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.  For more information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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