Announcing a pilot test program expansion of Healthy Starts for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health

The Pregnancy and Post-Partum Health Program supports high-risk pregnant people throughout the pregnancy and the post-partum period through the provision of medical nutrition therapy, nutrition education and counseling, and medically tailored meals to promote positive health outcomes for the parent and child.

Both a treatment and prevention program, the Pregnancy and Post-Partum Health Program aims to treat high-risk pregnancy conditions to help prevent short-term and long-term health complications.

Through the program, participants experience increased food and nutrition security through meals that meet the needs of pregnant people with elevated blood pressure and/or diabetes. In conjunction with appropriate medical care, the program seeks to promote blood pressure and serum glucose levels that are appropriate for the individual, positive birth outcomes, and increased reports of postpartum care.

Nutrition is key to a child’s growth and development in the first 1000 days of life (conception to 2 years), including ensuring a greater chance of birthing at a healthier weight and a reduced risk of many medical disorders later in life.

Medical nutrition therapy to ensure diet quality and to promote achievement of glycemic targets is critical for people with pre-existing diabetes, and for those with gestational diabetes, medical nutrition therapy, along with lifestyle modifications, is part of the first approach to treatment. Dietary modifications, including the consumption of less processed foods, are fundamental to the management of hypertension disorders of pregnancy.

People of color are disproportionately affected by high-risk pregnancy conditions and have worse health outcomes than white people. The program seeks to reach diverse populations throughout New York to provide nutritional support to pregnant people who may not otherwise have adequate access to healthy foods and support from a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). As part of this effort, we reach out through public and private referral systems, with a focus on geographically isolated communities. Our initial partnerships with NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, BronxCare, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, and St. John’s Episcopal Hospital intentionally create a pathway for people of color who live in geographic areas that contain high incidences of high-risk pregnancy diagnoses to our food and nutrition intervention. Referrals are currently limited to these pilot partners.

The Pregnancy and Post-Partum Program solidly aligns with the mission of God’s Love to cook and deliver nutritious, medically tailored meals and nutrition services to those in need. God’s Love seeks to improve the health and well-being of our clients, and this program does so for expectant parents and their children.

The program started in 2022 with a pilot program for people with Gestational Diabetes, and in 2024, expanded as a pilot to also reach people with pre-existing diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. The program provides weekly deliveries of 21 meals and 14 snacks during the period of pregnancy; depending on the time of diagnosis and referral, this is either 6 months or 9 months, and 21 meals a week for the 2-month post-partum period. At the start of the program, all clients receive a nutrition assessment from an RDN, curated nutrition education materials, along with access to a series of on-demand nutrition education webinars. All materials are available in English and Spanish.