Strong Memorial Hospital of the University of Rochester Medical Center - Baby Love

What is it?

Baby Love, which started in 1988, is a community-based outreach program of the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Strong Memorial Hospital that is designed to engage at-risk women in early and continuous prenatal care. Recent evaluation of the program revealed that high-risk pregnant mothers who participated in the program had significantly fewer neonatal intensive care admissions for their babies in comparison with previous years’ data and in comparison with the New York State Medicaid rate. Baby Love was recognized by the Healthcare Association of New York State as one of the state’s best examples of an institutional commitment to improve the health of the surrounding community.

Who is it for?

Medically and psychosocially at-risk pregnant women and teens, their newborns and families.

Why do they do it?

Rochester currently ranks 11th in the nation in the number of children living in poverty. Low-birthweight rates for city residents are twice as high as those who live in the suburbs, and the infant mortality rate is three times higher. The Baby Love program is a home-visit program designed to reduce infant mortality, premature births, low-birthweight rates and foster care placement in poor inner-city neighborhoods.

Impact

Baby Love serves approximately 200 medically and psychosocially at-risk pregnant women and teens, their newborns and families per year.

Contact: Mardy Sandler, LMSW
Program Director
Telephone: 585-275-4992
E-mail: mardy_sandler@urmc.rochester.edu