New moms in Chesapeake can now receive important postpartum care without leaving home, thanks to the Mom Mobile.

Last week, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare launched the Mom Mobile, a vehicle equipped to provide a variety of services to patients in the first few weeks after they give birth. Those include personalized follow-up care appointments from clinicians and nurses and essential items such as diapers and formula for those in need.

“For many new mothers, the transition from hospital to home is a whirlwind, often leaving them feeling alone and without adequate support during the critical postpartum period,” said Shannon Roberts, director of women’s and children’s services for the health care system. “We provide tangible support — from lactation supplies to digital follow-up resources — for a stronger, healthier start for families.”

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Elisa Wills, chief development officer of the Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation, said the Mom Mobile is a revival of a similar program the system used to offer. But it’s back to provide crucial care for mothers and the roughly 3,000 babies delivered by the health care system each year. According to CRH, one of the main goals of the new vehicle is to reduce hospital readmissions for mothers because of blood pressure levels and other postpartum complications.

March of Dimes, a maternal health nonprofit, assigned Virginia a grade of C-minus this year on key indicators, particularly the rate of preterm births, that affect maternal and infant health. Preterm births can be risky and account for more than a third of infant deaths nationwide. Last year, 10.1% of births in Virginia were preterm, or born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. That’s about half a percentage point below the national average, but experts say there’s more to be done to lower the rate.

According to the March of Dimes, adequate parental leave and mental health screenings for postpartum depression would be beneficial in Virginia.

Chronic health conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, can be risk factors for preterm births. But social factors like late or no prenatal care, poverty, chronic stress and lack of social support can also play a significant role. The impact was disproportionately high among Virginia’s Black mothers, whose preterm birth rate was 57% higher than that of white mothers. Likewise, the infant mortality rate among babies born to Black mothers was 1.9 times higher than the state rate.

In addition to March of Dimes’ state report card, cities received grades, as well. Chesapeake’s grade slightly improved, from failing to D-minus, with a preterm birth rate of 11.3%. Virginia Beach and Norfolk received failing grades, with preterm rates of 11.6% and 12.5%, respectively.

State lawmakers have made improving maternal and infant health outcomes a priority this year, both through legislation passed in the General Assembly and through state initiatives. 

The Mom Mobile takes a “proactive” approach to bettering health outcomes in communities, said Amber Egyud, chief operating and nursing officer at CRH.

“(The Mom Mobile) is a community-focused solution that blends hands-on clinical care with a deep understanding of the social and emotional challenges new parents face,” Egyud said.

Other groups also have targeted one-on-one care, at-home visits to new military parents in the region.

State efforts to improve maternal health include the April launch of two dashboards to track maternal and baby health across Virginia. One tracks maternal mortality and the other documents pregnancy-associated deaths.

The state’s Maternal and Child Health Dashboard was also upgraded. Then, in June, a new state law began to require all hospitals, licensed birthing centers and free-standing emergency departments to adopt standardized protocols for identifying obstetric emergencies for inpatient and outpatient care.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/25/mom-mobile-postpartum-care/