mHealth App to Boost Telehealth Access for New Mothers in WV

West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health is now providing access to an mHealth app that provides on-demand lactation support to certain new mothers in the state, according to a recent announcement.

Members of the West Virginia Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will soon be able to receive breastfeeding support 24/7 through Advantia’s Pacify app.

The Pacify mobile app was first launched in September 2017 in a pilot program. It intended to provide immediate support for new mothers at the touch of a button and provide access to care when there weren’t many other options in the middle of the night or on the weekends.

The WIC and Advantia partnership will expand WIC’s efforts of improving access to nutrition for mothers and their babies. 

“Currently, West Virginia WIC serves nearly 35,000 mothers and young children monthly. With the pacify app, we can now offer around-the-clock live support to help WIC moms breastfeed,” Catherine Slemp, MD, state health officer and commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for Public Health said in the announcement. 

Pacify was founded to incorporate technology and care information so that mothers were able to instantly access 24/7 support from an expert. George Brandes, founder and CEO of Pacify described the app as a “magical resource” and said that it takes about 30 seconds for mothers to be face-to-face with a board-certified lactation consultant whenever they desire, day or night. 

West Virginia is Pacify’s seventh public partner to offer unlimited access to Pacify’s telelactation services at no cost to women in the WIC program. 

The mHealth app provider recently established a presence in Southern Illinois and St. Louis with the acquisition of Heartland Women’s Healthcare, an OB/GYN service provider. And earlier this month, Advantia received a $45 million investment from BlueMountain Capital Management, LLC, a subsidiary of Assured Guaranty Ltd. 

“We have seen incredible outcomes in our other state partnerships, from better health outcomes for moms and babies to reduce cost for public insurance programs, and we’re confident the effect in West Virginia will be the same,” Brandes emphasized.

Advantia isn’t the first system to create a quick resource for new mothers. Back in November 2017, WellCare of Nebraska a free text-messaging program to assist mothers up to 15 weeks after giving birth. The goal was to easily connect new parents to experts in the field while navigating the beginning stages of having a newborn. 

“Many new parents are overwhelmed due to all the changes a new baby brings, which can lead to questions regarding a baby’s health like ‘is this normal’ or ‘what do I do,’” said Stephen Lazoritz, MD, medical director at WellCare of Nebraska at the time. 

The program offers “Baby’s First” services, including interactive support and videos on topics such as child development, nurturing, vaccinations, wellness visits, breastfeeding, home safety, nutrition, developmental milestones, and balancing the needs of different family members.