Latest news with #NashvilleStrongBabies
Axios
10-07-2025
- Health
- Axios
Nashville Strong Babies program celebrates anniversary amid fears of cuts
The Nashville Strong Babies program, which helps mothers with everything from doula support to nutrition, recently celebrated the first anniversary of its expansion across Davidson County. Why it matters: The program has been a resounding local success story, highlighted by no infant deaths and no maternal deaths among its participants since it was launched in 2019. The big picture: Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and the Metro Council increased local money for Nashville Strong Babies this year, adding more staff to the program at a time when it was rumored to be facing federal funding cuts. The city's newly passed budget includes an additional $334,700 for the increased staffing. The intrigue: The program has been primarily funded with about $1 million in annual federal grants, but that looked precarious as the Trump administration slashed budgets. Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services flagged $11 billion in potential funding cuts, including the money that goes to Metro for Nashville Strong Babies. The city received about half of its expected allotment earlier this year, and expects to receive the other half in October. Beyond that, city leaders worry federal support could be at risk. Flashback: Nashville Strong Babies was launched in seven Nashville ZIP codes that had higher infant mortality rates. The Metro Department of Health initiative pairs expecting mothers with a care coordinator who provides wrap-around services with the goal of starting a baby's life in a healthy way. Specialists help mothers navigate health insurance, provide childbirth education and breastfeeding support, and connect them to other community resources. Doula services and nutritional education are staples of the program. The services, which are free to the mother, continue until a baby turns 18 months. By the numbers: Since the program expanded countywide a year ago, 516 families have participated. Nashville Strong Babies has seen 92% of its babies born at a healthy birth rate, 91% are born full-term and 100% of doula-supported mothers continue to feed their babies breastmilk. What he's saying:"More Nashville children are able to celebrate their first birthday, and since the inception of the program, every mother that participated has survived," O'Connell said. "That's remarkable because more Tennessee women die while pregnant or within one year of childbirth more than any other state in the nation."
Axios
28-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
Nashville mayor slams "chaos and cruelty" of Trump's first 100 days
President Trump's first 100 days in office have been marked by a theme of "chaos and cruelty," Nashville's Mayor Freddie O'Connell said Monday. Why it matters: During a Democratic Mayors Association press call, O'Connell said Trump's efforts to slash federal spending in the name of efficiency have slammed Nashville hospitals, charities, businesses and health programs. Zoom in: Speaking during an online video chat with three other mayors, O'Connell singled out the citywide program Nashville Strong Babies, which helps new mothers get the resources they need to keep their children healthy. O'Connell said the federally backed program had helped improve maternal and infant mortality rates. What he's saying: "That is not efficiency," O'Connell said. "Protecting the early life of 1-year-olds, helping them see their life through to their first birthday, [and] helping moms with that support — that is where you actually save money with better health outcomes."
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Programs for newborns, people with HIV at risk of federal cuts, Nashville mayor warns
Nashville public health programs could take a major hit, depending on whether yet another round of federal funding cuts proceeds. At his weekly media roundtable last week, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell flagged a couple ways that $11 billion in potential cuts to public health funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would impact Nashville. Specifically, O'Connell pointed to two local programs — Nashville Strong Babies, which provides services to moms ranging from family planning services to prenatal and postpartum education free of charge, and the Ryan White program, which provides community-based care for low-income people living with HIV in Davidson County and a dozen other Middle Tennessee counties. Here's what else O'Connell had to say about what those programs stand to lose. If the cuts are allowed to proceed, O'Connell warned that they'll lead to direct impacts at the Metro Health Department, which facilitates both programs. Services to 426 families through the Strong Babies program would be affected, and the health department could lose upwards of 20 jobs. That would affect more than 50% of the program's services, O'Connell said. 'When we're able to demonstrate the success of return on public investment, I'm just left wondering what sense it makes to cut funds to programs like that,' O'Connell said last week. 'Ultimately, the greatest potential impact would be that we return to an era when there are significant points of discrimination within prenatal and early childhood care that could be at risk.' O'Connell said that could mean a return to higher infant mortality rates, especially in communities of color, and more mothers dying during pregnancy. The Ryan White program, meanwhile, also is firmly in the crosshairs. O'Connell said the program could see $4 million in cuts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued $4,658,066 in grants for the program to Nashville in the 2024 fiscal year — similar to Nashville's total awards from the two previous fiscal years — and another $857,721 since the start of 2025. Austin Hornbostel is the Metro reporter for The Tennessean. Have a question about local government you want an answer to? Reach him at ahornbostel@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville programs for newborns, HIV at risk of federal cuts
