CVS $1M grant to Women & Infants for maternal health, expanding workforce, mobile unit

Funding will support programs working to increase access to maternal health services in Rhode Island

CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS) and its Foundation today announced a $1 million grant to support the Women & Infants Hospital’s ongoing work to increase access to maternal health services, including programming to expand its workforce and launch a new postpartum mobile unit.

“Our commitment to women’s health includes improving access to the services needed for a healthy pregnancy, birth and postpartum care,” said Sheryl Burke, SVP of Corporate Social Responsibility and Chief Sustainability Officer at CVS Health. “By supporting the Women & Infants Hospital, we hope to strengthen their incredible work to ensure our neighbors receive consistent and high-quality care where and when they need it most.”

As part of the Women & Infants Hospital’s WIH ECHO programming umbrella, the CVS Health Foundation grant will help hire additional staff to support its Postpartum Hypertension Equity Program

, which started in 2022. The program provides blood pressure cuffs and training to all eligible patients before discharge to better understand when to seek medical attention in the comfort of their own homes. Patients continually highlight the program as life-changing, and it has already significantly reduced patients returning to the Emergency Department with hypertension-related complications.

“This grant from CVS Health allows the Women & Infants Hospital to continue successful programs like our Postpartum Hypertension Equity Program and build upon that progress to expand reach into the community,” said Methodius G. Tuuli, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women & Infants Hospital. “This initial investment in WIH ECHO will benefit Rhode Islanders for years to come.”

Knowing 80% of the Rhode Island community delivers at the Women & Infants Hospital, the grant will also support their new mobile van, which will help remove transportation as a barrier to receiving postpartum care. The mobile van will offer various services, including hypertension management, contraceptive counseling, mental health screening and breastfeeding support.

With nearly 6,000 employees working across the state, in its corporate offices, distribution centers, or delivering care through 60 pharmacies, dozens of MinuteClinic®, specialty pharmacy and Oak Street Health® locations, and for a million Aetna® members, supporting Rhode Island is part of CVS Health’s passion to build a world of health around every community it calls home. CVS Health granted $3.8 million last year to support organizations in Rhode Island working to expand access to health services and provide individuals with supportive services like workforce training, education and healthy food. In addition to the grants, the company offers free health screenings to the Rhode Island community through its Project Health program throughout the year. Participants often refer to the program as ‘a lifesaver’ and an opportunity to take control of their health. In 2023, CVS Health hosted 45 Project Health events in Rhode Island and screened 1,701 participants, which resulted in 5,954 screenings. 70% of participants had at least one screening result that was out of range. All participants  have an on-site consultation with a nurse practitioner and are provided with a directory of local health care providers and resources following the screenings. The full schedule of Project Health can be found online or through its iPhone or Android

About CVS Health 

CVS Health® is the leading health solutions company, delivering care like no one else can. We reach more people and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues — including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health — whether that’s managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system — and their personal health care — by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day. Follow @CVSHealth on social media.

About Women & Infants Hospital

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. A major teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the ninth largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country and the largest in New England with approximately 8,700 deliveries per year. Women & Infants is a Designated Baby-Friendly® USA hospital and was recently ranked by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals in 2024. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology ranked 11 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Medical Schools specialty ranking.

Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiography; a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology; and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence.  It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high-risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network, and Pelvic Floors Disorders Network, as well as the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group.