Health Plan of San Joaquin, providers and community team up for healthier birth outcomes!
(French Camp, CA) – CDC’s most recent numbers paint a grim picture of rising U.S. maternity mortality rates. The total rate in 2020 was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births compared with 20.1 in 2019. However, risks for Black/African American mothers are even higher – each is nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than Whites, Hispanics, and Asians. Black/African American babies die at two times the rate of White, Hispanic and Asian babies before they turn one. The preterm delivery rate among Black/African Americans in San Joaquin County is 13.3 percent.
Health Plan of San Joaquin actively partners with primary care providers as they reach out to every Medi-Cal prenatal patient. Each receives multiple contacts, including at least one phone call and pertinent materials during each trimester. For complex pregnancies, support services are offered with an HPSJ care manager and health navigator. High risk pregnancies are supported with a social worker and case management team. In turn, HPSJ network providers are supported in their care for HPSJ patients with a rich trove of Me + My Baby Prenatal Program online materials at hpsj.com/prenatal/. Providers also can order supplies of printed materials – including the upcoming, even more culturally sensitive trimester booklets – by emailing healtheducation@hpsj.com.
The redesigned Member Incentives Program, myRewards, is now available via the member portal, www.hpsj.com/myrewards/. Pregnant HPSJ patients can earn $25 gift card incentives for timely prenatal care visits throughout their pregnancy. Providers can strongly encourage their HPSJ patients to engage with the website for myReward incentives, plus a wide range of prenatal and postpartum information and support.
As part of their prenatal and postpartum care, HPSJ members also may be introduced to appropriate local resources. Introductions from HPSJ would be through warm handoffs that include to San Joaquin County’s Black Infant Health Program at Public Health Services of San Joaquin County (sjcphs.org) and the High Risk Maternal and Child Health division of Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, at https://tinyurl.com/mabhswpv.
About Health Plan of San Joaquin
Health Plan of San Joaquin, a not-for-profit, public health plan, has been serving members and the community since 1996. Located in the heart of California’s multicultural Central Valley, local HPSJ is the leading Medi-Cal managed care provider, serving over 90% of Medi-Cal recipients in San Joaquin County and over 70% in Stanislaus County. HPSJ offers a broad network of providers and works closely with doctors to develop programs and services to ensure quality health care for 396,000 members who are mostly working families and children, as well as seniors and disabled residents.
Media Contact:
Jill Center, Health Plan of San Joaquin
jcenter@hpsj.com or 209.461.2372; www.hpsj.com