Please join us in encouraging pregnant women and new moms to sign up for Text4baby.  Text4baby is a program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition that provides pregnant women and new moms with information to help them give their babies the best possible start in life. Text4baby is the country’s first free, health education program using text messages. Participating national cell phone companies deliver Text4baby messages to their subscribers at no charge. Pregnant women and new mothers receive expert advice texted directly to their cell phones. The weekly messages are timed to their due date or their baby’s birth date through the baby’s first year. The messages deal with nutrition, immunizations and birth defects prevention, among many other topics.  

CMS announced today that it will partner with Text4Baby to promote enrollment in Medicaid.  Current Text4Baby users are receiving a new message providing a connection to the InsureKidsNow phone number and website for information about how to sign up.  So far, 6,000 Arizonans have enrolled in Text4baby since the program started in February 2010.  You can help increase Arizona’s enrollment by spreading the word among pregnant women and new families or by encouraging other organizations to sign up as an official partner with the Text4baby program.  To learn more about the Text4baby Program, go to www.text4baby.org.