Los Angeles, CA – Perinatal Advisory Council; Leadership, Advocacy and Consultation (PAC/LAC) announced that it has partnered with text4baby– the first free texting service to provide health information to pregnant women and new moms from pregnancy through a baby’s first year.

PAC/LAC will promote text4baby on its website, at conferences and educational activities, and through promotion with regional member birthing hospitals, organizations, and individual perinatal health professionals.

“Every woman deserves access to information that will help her give her baby the best possible chance at a healthy start in life,” said Judy Meehan, CEO, National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. “It’s partners like PAC/LAC that are making it possible for text4baby to deliver health messages to those who need them most.”

Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE for Spanish) receive three free SMS text messages each week timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth. These messages focus on a variety of topics critical to maternal and child health, including birth defects prevention, immunization, nutrition, seasonal flu, mental health, oral health, safe sleep, and more. Text4baby messages also connect women to prenatal and infant care services and other resources.

PAC/LAC partners with Text4baby to provide outreach and education to our broad range of hospitals, organizations and individuals in an effort to encourage women in the surrounding communities to utilize the Text4baby services.

According to the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, each year in the U.S., more than 500,000 babies are born prematurely and an estimated 28,000 children die before their first birthday. The infant mortality rate in the U.S. is one of the highest in the industrialized world, and for the first time since the 1950s, that rate is on the rise. Research shows Over 85% of Americans own a cell phone and 72% of cell users send or receive text messages.

Text4baby is made possible through a broad, public-private partnership that includes government, corporations, academic institutions, professional associations, non-profit organizations, and more.

The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) is the only coalition of its kind, which acts as a catalyst for change by creating partnerships among community groups, nonprofit organizations, professional associations, businesses and government agencies. The Coalition promotes optimal health for mothers and babies, and works to strengthen families and build healthy communities.

PAC/LAC is a leading source of information and services related to perinatal care. Our mission is to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes by promoting best practices and evidence-based medicine to healthcare practitioners and facilities throughout the state.  We are committed to improving the health of woman during pregnancy and childbirth and the health of their newborns. PAC/LAC’s credo is to sustain quality improvement in health care settings and systems, aiding healthcare leaders to optimize perinatal and neonatal outcomes.

For over three decades, PAC/LAC has been renowned as a trusted and valued resource, locally and nationwide, in its efforts to impact quality care, healthcare planning, program evaluation, and public policy analysis. Over 18% of the live births in California occur in a hospital in PAC/LAC’s region. The wide reach of PAC/LAC to expectant mothers in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties offers an exciting opportunity to promote the text4baby service.