{"id":18089,"date":"2026-04-22T10:45:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=18089"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:45:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:45:39","slug":"every-family-deserves-a-healthy-start-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/every-family-deserves-a-healthy-start-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>April 21, 2026<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact:<\/strong> Dr Zelalem Attlee, <a href=\"mailto:Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov\">Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start<br \/>\n<\/strong><em>The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Supports Healthy Pregnancies During Black Maternal Health Week<\/em><\/p>\n<p>WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 Pregnancy is often a time of joy and uncertainty. During <a href=\"https:\/\/blkmaternalhealthweek.com\/\">Black Maternal Health Week<\/a>, April 11-17, the Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District is working to help more families experience safe, supported and healthy pregnancies.<\/p>\n<p>Black women are twice as likely to die from a <a href=\"https:\/\/rga.lis.virginia.gov\/Published\/2026\/RD52\/PDF\">pregnancy-associated cause<\/a>\u00a0than White women and more likely to die from cardiac related causes. Doulas, BabyCare, and the Women Infants and Children (WIC) programs provide support and connect families to healthcare, nutritious food, and items needed to support healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSupporting Black maternal health is essential to building a healthier community for everyone,\u201d said Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director J. Carr, M.D. \u201cThe continuing disparities demand focused attention and strong partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District\u00a0offers several services that can help families thrive. RRHD has few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/family-planning\/doula-state-certification\/\">certified doulas<\/a>\u00a0and few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/maternal-health\/pregnancy-and-postpartum-resources\/doulas-and-community-health-workers\/\">community health workers<\/a>\u00a0(CHWS) who are trained to support pregnant and parenting people in the community. These trusted individuals teach pregnant women about childbirth. They understand different cultures and beliefs so they can help to eliminate disparities in care. They are trained to coach families through the emotional and physical process of pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. They can also help connect people to resources such as healthy food and help navigate the healthcare system.<\/p>\n<p>A free home visiting program for pregnant individuals and families of children up to age two, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/pregnancy\/babycare\/\">BabyCare <\/a>program meets families right where they are. A registered nurse will come to the family\u2019s home and help work through any questions or issues. Nurses can assist with things such as physical and mental wellness checks, high risk pregnancies, connecting families with pediatricians, breastfeeding support, finding baby care supplies and more. In 2025, 15 localities served 1,361 total baby care clients including 537 mothers and 824 infants with the goal to reduce low birth weight improve prenatal care and address health disparities.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/wic\/\">WIC<\/a>\u00a0Program is designed to give children the very best beginning through healthy foods, nutrition education and access to health care. Pregnant women and children (up to age five) who qualify receive monthly food benefits. Benefits include breastfeeding support and eWIC cards for healthy foods such as milk, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. The Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District served 5232 WIC clients last year with 962 new enrollments. Those who participate in the WIC program have improved birth outcomes and increased breastfeeding rates. To be eligible for the program applicants must show they have a financial need and nutrition risk.<\/p>\n<p>These programs help every family get a healthy start. Families can sign up for any one of the services by calling \u00a01-888-942-3663 or going to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rrhd.org\">www.rrhd.org<\/a>. Every Black mother deserves to be heard, respected, and cared for. The disparities we see in maternal health are not inevitable, they are preventable, and they demand action.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>April 21, 2026 Media Contact: Dr Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Supports Healthy Pregnancies During Black Maternal Health Week WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 Pregnancy is often a time of joy and uncertainty. During Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, the Rappahannock-Rapidan\u00a0Health District is working to help more families [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":16853,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[489],"class_list":["post-18089","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-maternal-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start - Newsroom<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/2026-regional-news-releases\/every-family-deserves-a-healthy-start-3\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start - Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"April 21, 2026 Media Contact: Dr Zelalem Attlee, Zelalem.Attlee@vdh.virginia.gov Every Family Deserves a Healthy Start The Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Supports Healthy Pregnancies During Black Maternal Health Week WARRENTON, Va. \u2013 Pregnancy is often a time of joy and uncertainty. 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