HCA Healthcare announces $1.5 million HCA Healthcare Foundation grant to support March of Dimes’ Low Dose, Big Benefits™ campaign

Today, we are proud to announce that the HCA Healthcare Foundation, through its Healthier Tomorrow Fund, will strengthen its collaboration with March of Dimes, a leading nonprofit fighting for the health of all moms and babies, through a new $1.5 million grant to support their Low Dose, Big Benefits campaign.

“We value the opportunity to deepen our collaboration with March of Dimes through their Low Dose, Big Benefits campaign that not only aims to improve maternal and fetal outcomes but also empowers our communities to advocate for healthier futures,” said Deb Reiner, senior vice president of marketing and corporate affairs for HCA Healthcare and interim president of the HCA Healthcare Foundation. “It is our hope that our work together will help advance awareness and encourage informed conversations around maternal and infant health.”

Preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders affect 1 in 8 pregnancies. Low-dose aspirin is currently recommended for individuals at high or moderate risk for preeclampsia during pregnancy. Despite the benefits, low dose aspirin is still underutilized. One research brief showed that only 11% of patients who met the high-risk criteria for preeclampsia were prescribed low-dose aspirin. With focus areas in Houston, Texas and Miami, Florida, Low Dose, Big Benefits aims to prevent preeclampsia risk in pregnancies through comprehensive provider education, patient and community awareness, and a quality improvement plan in Federally Qualified Health Centers to better identify health risks and support the appropriate use of low dose aspirin.

“We are excited to work hand-in-hand with March of Dimes to help reduce the number of pregnancies affected by preeclampsia, a leading contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Kjersti Aagaard, maternal fetal medicine physician and a national physician advisor at HCA Healthcare.

“We are grateful to the HCA Healthcare Foundation for their commitment to improving maternal and infant health,” said Kelly Ernst, SVP and chief impact officer at March of Dimes. “This generous support allows us to expand our Low Dose, Big Benefits campaign, helping more moms and babies avoid the devastating consequences of preeclampsia. Together, we’re advancing proven, life-saving solutions that can reduce preventable maternal and infant deaths.”

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In addition to this grant, HCA Healthcare and March of Dimes have worked together for more than a decade to advance the health of moms and babies through health education, community engagement and clinical impact:

• HCA Healthcare hospitals have actively partnered with March of Dimes in communities nationwide — through volunteerism and team-based fundraising — to foster community connection and advance shared goals for healthier pregnancies and stronger beginnings for all families. In 2022, HCA Healthcare deepened this commitment by becoming a national partner for March for Babies, March of Dimes’ signature fundraising campaign.
• In 2021, HCA Healthcare and March of Dimes announced a collaboration focused on improving maternal outcomes through postpartum discharge education and by lowering hospital cesarean rates among low-risk, first-time mothers, clinically referenced as NTSV (Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex) pregnancies.
• In 2024, HCA Healthcare supported March of Dimes’ It Starts With Mom education and engagement platform, which provides families with educational information and resources during their pregnancy journey.
• Additionally, March of Dimes’ mission team and clinical experts from across HCA Healthcare’s service lines meet regularly to ensure that disseminated education and resources based on best level evidence can be readily implemented in everyday clinical settings.

HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Research Institute curate high quality maternal and neonatal data from more than 200,000 annual deliveries across the our network of hospitals to learn and continually improve patient outcomes. HCA Healthcare has conducted studies that have helped identify and scale clinical best practices, including implementing evidence-based protocols to reduce elective delivery prior to 39 weeks, improving care practices to prevent potential postpartum blood clots, and using preventative medications to reduce the occurrence and severity of postpartum hemorrhage.