Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Rowland joined leaders from Baby2Baby, a national nonprofit focused on alleviating child poverty, to distribute maternal health and newborn supply kits at New York City Health + Hospitals/Kings County on Sept. 16.
The kits, filled with essential items like diapers, hygiene products, breastfeeding supplies, postpartum care items, and educational materials, were provided to new mothers and their infants at no cost.
Rowland, a Baby2Baby board member, along with co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof, personally delivered the first batch of kits to new Brooklyn moms.
“We couldn’t be more proud to bring Baby2Baby’s maternal health and newborn supply kits to New York. The goal of the program is to address the mental health struggles of new mothers who cannot afford critical items for their newborns,” Weinstein and Patricof said in a statement. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals.”
Since their partnership began in 2021, Baby2Baby has made a significant impact, providing essential items like diapers, wipes, portable cribs and car seats, with the aim of promoting safe and equitable care for all mothers.
“The visit to Kings County Hospital to deliver newborn supply kits was a profound moment of connection and joy. We deeply appreciate Baby2Baby and their leadership in supporting high-quality care for all New Yorkers,” said Deborah Brown, chief external affairs officer at NYC Health + Hospitals.
The urgency of this initiative comes as U.S. maternal mortality rates have more than doubled in the past 20 years, disproportionately affecting Black mothers. Mental health has been identified as a key contributing factor to the crisis. Selected by the White House to pilot the program, Baby2Baby initially focused on Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico before expanding to 10 states, including New York, with support from a multi-million-dollar grant from Huggies.
Wendy Wilcox, chief women’s health officer for NYC Health + Hospitals, said the collaboration between Baby2Baby and the local institution represents a significant step toward improving maternal health outcomes for vulnerable families in New York.
“These items have helped to address real, concrete needs for our patients. Our partnership with Baby2Baby has been an integral part of our solution to provide safe and equitable peripartum care to all,” Wilcox said. “We are deeply grateful for our partnership with Baby2Baby and look forward to further collaboration with them.”