WESTON — For their dedication to improving the health of mothers and babies through participation in the BABY & ME Tobacco Free Program, the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership recognized the following healthcare facilities at its September 2023 Summit at Stonewall Resort:
- St. Joseph’s Hospital Center for Women’s Health
- Davis Medical Center Women’s HealthCare
- AccessHealth
- Advanced OBGYN Women’s Health Center
- CAMC Women’s Health
- FamilyCare
- Greenbrier Physicians
- Lincoln Primary Care
- Valley Health: A Woman’s Place
- Wheeling Hospital Perinatal Transition Program
- WVU Medicine OB/Gyn
The BMTFP is a smoking cessation program created to support pregnant people with quitting tobacco during pregnancy and staying quit after pregnancy. Women enrolled in the program receive comprehensive tobacco cessation services during pregnancy and for one year after the baby is born.
BMTFP Executive Director Laurie Adams said, “We are impressed by the care and continued efforts of WV healthcare providers to address tobacco use within the pregnant populations. We have received over 250 WV referrals within the past 18 months, which has resulted in improved birth outcomes and healthier WV mothers and babies.”
Participants receive individual counseling, CO monitor testing, and incentives of diapers and wipes for staying quit. Telehealth services are also available.
Tobacco Cessation Project Physician Champion Ellie Hood said, “Valley Health is excited about our partnership with BABY & ME – Tobacco Free. We have found this program to be a critical tool in helping our patients who use tobacco quit completely and stay quit. As a result, the expectant moms we serve are healthier, their deliveries are safer, and their babies are much more likely to be born on time, at a healthy weight.
“One aspect we’ve found very helpful is the open, direct communication we are able to have with the telehealth counselor working with these women. This helps bring the continuum of care for our patients full circle. They receive the care they truly need to be successful in becoming free from tobacco, and we get updates on their status in the program.”
