Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport will partner with several organizations to bring high-tech breastfeeding support services to rural patients.
The study was launched in late September of this year through Pacify Health Inc., “the leading mobile health platform for new mothers and newborns.” Additional partners include the RAND Corporation, University of Pittsburgh and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
“Moms get a lot of support while they’re in the hospital, but they go home and that support evaporates,” said Melanie Silverman, chief clinical officer at Pacify. “Pacify fills that gap by streaming experts directly into the home during those first few critical days and weeks after birth.”
A group of 200 mothers delivering their babies at Cole Memorial will have an opportunity to take part in the study. Half will use current breastfeeding support services available at the hospital. The other half will take advantage of mobile lactation support provided by Pacify. Participants for each group will be randomly chosen, but all who participate will receive a free iPhone and data plan plus gift cards for completing related surveys, according to a statement released by Warren Robak, media relations representative with RAND Corporation.
“Increasing breastfeeding rates is an ongoing public health priority because of the health and economic benefits for infants, mothers and communities. Studies have shown that professional lactation support, specifically International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, increases breastfeeding duration and exclusivity,” Robak said.
Pacify brings best-in-class breastfeeding support to new mothers as part of an effort to increase breastfeeding rates and children’s health. The company states that Pacify was “founded on the idea that more can be done to use mobile technology to help families access excellent pediatric care, regardless of their circumstances. Pacify’s industry-leading motible platform provides instantaneous, 24/7 support for new mothers.”
Women using the service can connect by video-visit with nurses, nutritionists and lactation consultants without the need to schedule an appointment. Calls are answered, on average, in less than 30 seconds. The service is available 24-hours a day, so new mothers can get the answers they need on their schedule.
Breastfeeding rates are typically lower in rural areas where women have less access to professional lactation support. Many rural facilities, including Cole Memorial, do not have a lactation consultant on-staff. The nearest consultant is 30 miles from the hospital, according to the RAND release.
However, women living in rural areas often have issues with internet access and reliable cell phone service, which may hinder this study and efforts to bring mobile services such as this online.
“Pacify serves thousands of rural mothers all around the country, so signal concerns are definitely a priority for us. It’s also something our partners at RAND Corp. carefully considered when they designed the (Cole Memorial) study. In fact, RAND provides a resources guide to help mothers access WiFi should they encounter a signal problem,” said Pacify co-founder George Brandes. “Happily, we are constantly amazed to see that rural moms use Pacify at extremely high rates, even compared to urban moms. That suggests to us that moms in remote locations are still able to access Pacify to help answer their questions about breastfeeding and infant nutrition.”
Pacify works with Medicaid, state departments of health and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to provide breastfeeding support services for mothers across the country.
Pacify is available for individuals outside of the study. For more information, visit the website at pacify.com.
