Health Care Service Corporation is helping expand access to a new digital health app for women that guides them through their physical and mental journey before, during and after pregnancy.
The telehealth service, called InovCares, assists women through fertility, childbirth, breastfeeding, mental health and postpartum care in a culturally sensitive manner. Patients can request rides to medical appointments, access healthy food, fill prescriptions and receive baby essentials.
More than 1,024 women have joined the app across three federally qualified health centers in Illinois and Texas. Most recently, Chicago Family Health Center launched the platform for its patients on the city’s South Side.
“This innovative tool and digital solution puts essential health resources and support directly in the hands of our patients,” says Chidinma Osineme, M.D., chief medical officer of Chicago Family Health Center. “We’re connecting them to the resources they need to have a healthy pregnancy.”
The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income nations, but more than 80% of deaths are preventable, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HCSC’s investment in InovCares is part of its expanded Maternal and Infant Health Initiative aimed at expanding access to quality maternal and infant health care, reducing health disparities and addressing social factors that influence a mother and baby’s well-being.