ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico is observing the first year of its expanded Special Beginnings® Maternal and Infant Health initiative. The initiative aims to improve the health of moms and babies throughout New Mexico with an increased focus on access to quality care, reducing care gaps and educating and engaging community residents. The expansion works to address factors that influence the health and wellbeing of women, children and families, including the non-medical factors that influence health.
New Mexico has a significantly higher maternal mortality rate than the national average, with 28 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the March of Dimes. Additionally, New Mexico ranks poorly in prenatal care access, with 22.8% of birthing people not receiving adequate prenatal care.
Since its inception, the program has produced measurable success across the communities BCBSNM serves, resulting in:
- More than 7,000 people served through community and clinical partners specialized in maternal health services.
- Nearly 700 preconception and prenatal patients screened for sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer.
- 60 healthy babies born via initiative labor and delivery community partners.
These efforts also include investment in maternal health workforce development, including doulas and midwives to reduce perinatal disparities.
“This marks an important milestone as we celebrate the first year of our commitment to improving health outcomes for moms and babies in New Mexico,” said Dr. Latha Raja Shankar, BCBSNM vice president of health care delivery and chief medical officer. “We look forward to supporting families at every stage of life and that starts with maternal care.”
BCBSNM recognizes the meaningful impact of its community partners and the expertise they bring through collaboration and trust. Their work helps to eliminate care barriers from preconception through postpartum and is vital in creating lasting change in maternal and infant health.
The 2024-25 Special Beginnings grantees include:
- Changing Woman Initiative, providing culturally centered health care for New Mexico's indigenous families.
- Delfina, helping to improve perinatal and postpartum care for women in New Mexico identified by their doctors.
- Gallup Community Health, connecting women negatively affected by social determinants of health with supportive services throughout their pregnancies.
- Jardin de los Niños, providing education, therapeutic intervention and comprehensive services to homeless or near homeless mothers and their babies.
- Lovelace Health System (GRACE program), providing comprehensive care to pregnant moms struggling with substance use disorders in rural New Mexico.
- Many Mothers, connecting mothers experiencing perinatal or postpartum disorders to clinical support.
- Perinatal Associates of New Mexico, improving care access by providing telemedicine visits to pregnant and postpartum women struggling with mental health disorders.
- Postpartum Support International, providing specialized training to address New Mexico's perinatal mental health care shortage.
- University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, developing data-driven quality improvement tools at New Mexico birthing hospitals to address maternal morbidity and mortality.
- Vitamin Angels, supporting maternal nutrition by enabling clinics and community organizations to distribute no-cost prenatal vitamins to their clients and patients.
Visit BCBSNM's newsroom and BCBSNM’s 2024 Impact Report for information about its initiatives and support for health care access in New Mexico.
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About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico is one of the largest commercial health insurers in New Mexico with approximately 700,000 New Mexicans carrying a Blue Cross and Blue Shield card. Since 1940, BCBSNM has been committed to promoting the health and wellness of its members and communities through accessible, cost-effective, quality health care. BCBSNM is a Division of Health Care Service Corporation, the country’s largest customer-owned health insurer and fourth largest health insurer overall. Health Care Service Corporation is a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.