UnityPoint Health is proud to be the presenting sponsor for Every Kick Counts, an initiative of the Count the Kicks public health campaign aimed at teaching expectant parents the importance of monitoring their babies’ movements in the third trimester of pregnancy. Every Kick Counts allows student athletes to give back to their communities and do something bigger than themselves by raising funds and awareness to improve birth outcomes.
Athletes who sign up can collect donations for Count the Kicks by receiving pledges for every score, punt, kick, or success they have in their game. Every time they succeed, they raise money and potentially save lives. Athletes at all levels can leverage their personal networks and social media profiles to raise awareness for the cause.
The CDC estimates that 23,500 babies in the United States are stillborn each year. This campaign supports UnityPoint Health’s efforts to provide expecting individuals with the right care and education to help improve the health of unborn babies. This includes identifying and addressing health inequities in the communities we serve.
Research shows that certain populations experience the tragedy of stillbirth at much higher rates than others. For example, Black women are two times more likely to lose their baby to stillbirth compared to their white counterparts. Hispanic and Native American women are also at greater risk. In addition to supporting Every Kick Counts, UnityPoint Health:
Supports the Visiting Nurse Association Community-based Iowa Black Doula Collective since Black women experience higher rates of infant mortality almost two times higher than the national average.
Partnered with Iowa Department of Public Health on the Center of Excellence grant to pilot a program that improves access to high quality, obstetric (OB) services for expectant individuals in rural parts of Iowa.
Is an active member of statewide Maternal Quality Care Collaboratives in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin – the three states served by UnityPoint Health – which promotes high reliability care that improves outcomes across the entire enterprise.
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