Healthy Birth Day, Inc. and Elevance Health Foundation Expand Stillbirth Prevention Partnership To 11 States

Goal to Make Count the Kicks Program a Standard of Care for Providers and Expectant Parents through $1.3 million Grant

DES MOINES, IA, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Today, Healthy Birth Day, Inc. announced a new $1.3 million grant from Elevance Health Foundation to expand the Count the Kicks stillbirth prevention program to more families in the U.S. Through this new funding, Count the Kicks will be able to support education, training, tools, and awareness campaigns in 11 states, including California (select counties), Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Since 2023, Elevance Health Foundation has joined communities across the country in reducing the rate of stillbirth through the evidence-based Count the Kicks program, which was created by Healthy Birth Day. Research shows that at least 1 in 4 stillbirths can be prevented. Count the Kicks helps prevent stillbirths and improve birth outcomes for moms and babies by teaching expectant parents a simple method for understanding their baby’s normal movement patterns starting at 28 weeks.

“Our goal is to make Count the Kicks a standard of care for providers and expectant parents in partner states through provider training, clinical implementation and awareness campaigns,” said Emily Price, CEO at Healthy Birth Day. “Through this partnership with Elevance Health Foundation, maternal health professionals and organizations in 11 states now have access to order free educational materials in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole to help them have a conversation about fetal movement monitoring with expectant parents.”

Research shows a change in a baby’s normal movement pattern is sometimes the first or only indication there may be an issue developing during the pregnancy. By making movement monitoring – also known as “kick counting” – easy and accessible for parents, Count the Kicks and Elevance Health Foundation are working together to improve birth outcomes for moms and babies in grant-funded states, sometimes saving two lives at once.

“As the Elevance Health Foundation works to create equity in maternal healthcare, we are encouraged by the impact that our partnership with Healthy Birth Day has made on the lives of families,” said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., Chief Health Officer of Elevance Health. “By expanding Count the Kicks education in partnership with Healthy Birth Day, we have the potential to reach 900,000 people with trainings and access to digital health to improve maternal and child health outcomes.”

Since the beginning of the partnership, Count the Kicks has heard from 14 families in grant-funded states who credit the program with helping their baby have a safe arrival. Jessica Smith, a mom from New York, learned about Count the Kicks after her first daughter was stillborn. During her next pregnancy, having more awareness of her baby’s normal movement patterns made all the difference.

“I was at a regularly scheduled appointment when my sonographer asked me about my daughter’s movements. That was when I realized that while she had been moving, her movements were not as intense as they had been before,” she said. “Because of your education and advocacy, I knew to trust that instinct. Thanks to the Count the Kicks app I had the data to show and back me up on this change.”

Jessica’s daughter Aria was born safely, fully wrapped in her cord. “If I had not found Count the Kicks, I truly believe Aria would not be here today,” Jessica said.

Stillbirth is commonly defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater gestation during pregnancy. It is a national public health crisis that impacts more than 20,000 families in the U.S. every year, according to the CDC. Differences in stillbirth outcomes persist, and data shows that a disproportionate number of babies are born still to Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families. Expectant parents in some age groups, geographic locations, and those expecting multiples also face an increased risk of stillbirth.

About Count the Kicks

Count the Kicks is a program of Healthy Birth Day, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of stillbirth. The free Count the Kicks has been downloaded more than 1.6 million times and counting in all 50 U.S. states, and more than 160 other countries. We have appeared on Good Morning America, The Washington Post, Sunday Night Football, and in O Magazine, and produced a national PSA that has generated more than 300 million viewer impressions. Since launching in Iowa in 2008, we continue to join communities across the country in reducing the rate of stillbirth through the evidence-based Count the Kicks program. Learn more at CountTheKicks.org.

About Elevance Health Foundation

Elevance Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health Inc. The Foundation works to improve the health of the socially vulnerable through partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal-infant health; behavioral health; and food as medicine. Through its key areas of focus, the Foundation also strategically aligns with Elevance Health’s focus on community health and becoming a lifetime, trusted health partner that is fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. To learn more about Elevance Health Foundation, please visit www.elevancehealth.foundation or follow us @ElevanceFND on X and Elevance Health Foundation on Facebook.

Kimberly Isburg
Healthy Birth Day, Inc.
+1 515-494-5115
isburg.kimberly@healthybirthday.org
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