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Healthy Incentives in Utah

March 28, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

Nine months can affect a lifetime.

Once a woman becomes pregnant, obtaining insufficient medical care is vital to the current and future health of both mother and child. Unfortunately, there are far too many women who receive inadequate prenatal care throughout the world. The March of Dimes, originally named the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, was founded in 1937 by Franklin D. Roosevelt in an e_ort to learn more about and eradicate polio. Once the polio vaccine was discovered, the number of polio cases declined rapidly. The March of Dimes’ new mission became the prevention of, and ability to cope with, birth defects. Once it became clear that improving birth outcomes often could be addressed through sufficient prenatal care of both mother and baby, March of Dimes chapters began to spread into every state.

To improve outcomes, pregnant women should obtain medical care within the first few weeks of becoming pregnant. Unfortunately, this does not always occur. There are many reasons why women do not obtain adequate care, such as fear, transportation, lack of knowledge, or an absence of insurance. In the United States alone, 21.3% of women are uninsured. The Utah March of Dimes Chapter has created an incentive for low income pregnant women to seek and practice good health during their pregnancy. The Teddy Bear Den is a program where women earn points for practicing healthy behaviors during pregnancy and for the infant’s first year of life. They are able to redeem their points for free baby care items, such as diapers, wipes, and hygiene items. During the 2014 year, the Teddy Bear Den program served over 3,000 women.

In the words of one recipient in this program, “I would not have been able to afford many of the items offered through the Teddy Bear Den program.” Another participant adds, “I am so grateful for the baby items and have learned more about being healthy during my pregnancy.”

About the Author

Globus Relief

Globus Relief was founded in 1996. While working in the salvage retail industry, two Salt Lake City businessmen were saddened to see viable medical and hygiene supplies frequently sent to landfills. Certain that these surplus resources could be rescued and put to good use, they created Globus Relief to efficiently channel overstocked, gently used, or short-dated supplies to humanitarian projects in Utah and around the world.

Since our founding, Globus Relief has distributed over $1 billion (fair market value) of supplies to more than 800 charities at work in over 140 countries. Twenty full-time employees oversee the work of gathering, processing, and distributing humanitarian supplies in our 100,000-s.f. warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. Volunteers contribute an average of 225 labor hours per week, the equivalent of 5.6 additional full-time employees.

Globus Relief is known for strong financial efficiency, historically keeping administrative and fundraising expenses to under 3% of our total budget.