Anthem Allocates $25,000 Grant to CT Prenatal Care

Anthem Blue Cross/ Blue Shield of North Haven announced today that a $25,000 grant from the insurance company's corporate foundation would be given to the pregancy and infant health non-profit March of Dimes intended to bolster the group's prenatal care program, CenteringPregnancy.

The announcement coincides with World Prematurity Day, March of Dimes day-long awareness campaign aimed at raising awareness about the risks stemming from premature births. 

“Preterm births are tremendously costly, stressful, and—in many cases—preventable,” said David R. Fusco, president of Anthem Blue Cross/ Blue Shield in CT.  “By expanding the CenteringPregnancy program in Connecticut we are working to ensure moms-to-be have access to the care they need which in turn leads to better outcomes for mom and baby alike.”

According to March of Dimes, roughly 4,000 babies are born prematurely in CT each year. Nationally, one in eight babies are born preterm.

CenteringPregnancy, in addition to providing patients with standard check-ups and appointments with specialists, seeks to bring women at similar points in their pregnancies together to learn health skills, engage in conversation, and establish support networks.

“This grant will help more women have healthy pregnancies and full-term babies, and support the March of Dimes quality improvement initiatives to improve the health of babies by preventing preterm births,” noted Robert Garguilo, March of Dimes State Director. “By supporting these programs Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation shows that it recognizes the importance of helping expectant mothers access needed health care services.”

Anthem's CenteringPregnancy grant in Connecticut represents a portion of a $1 million grant from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s parent company’s Foundation to the March of Dimes programs in fourteen states.