Square Roots Launches BIRTHMARK®: First National Platform to Support Pregnancy

MIAMI, June 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Square Roots, a mission-driven company focused on pregnancy health and wellness, is hosting its inaugural BIRTHMARK® Day event in the City of Miami this Friday, June 23rd. BIRTHMARK® is the first national platform to support pregnancy and is connected by a coalition of cities, called BIRTHMARK® Cities. With lack of support on the federal level for maternal healthcare, Square Roots is working on the local level with cities and corporations to form a new standard for prenatal care. Built upon Square Roots' successful passing of the 2015 Maternal Health Resolution at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, this city-led coalition will include seven member cities by the end of 2017.

The City of Miami partnership marks the first in a series of partnerships with cities and companies to engage local cross-sector leaders in a joint commitment to improve maternal health and wellness, and set a pregnancy wellness standard. Through a combination of educational programming and direct engagement with key stakeholders, Miami will implement public initiatives to help expectant mothers reduce stress and improve health outcomes throughout their pregnancies. The city of Miami will work to ensure workplace environments have the resources and knowledge needed to better support expectant mothers.

"As Miami continues to focus on the future of our great city, we know one of the most important investments we can make today is in our mothers and infants," said Tomás Regalado, Mayor of the City of Miami. "As is so often the case, lasting progress demands engagement from all. That's why I'm thrilled to work with Square Roots to improve health outcomes for mothers in Miami."

"The launch of BIRTHMARK® continues Square Roots' commitment to engaging local innovators from the private and public sectors to support mothers in all corners of the country," said Morad Fareed, Founder and CEO of Square Roots. "We have worked with diverse communities and leading institutions, but we always find that strong local leadership is the point of greatest leverage. Mayor Regalado understands the importance of a healthy pregnancy to our collective future, and we look forward to partnering with his office as we build a national model for improving maternal health in communities across America."

Square Roots and the City of Miami will host "Miami BIRTHMARK® Day" on June 23, 2017 at Miami City Hall to celebrate the City's commitment to support maternal health and wellness, and joining the coalition of Cities supporting BIRTHMARK®.The event will include remarks from Mayor Regalado, a special performance of songs from Carnegie Hall's National Lullaby Program, and provide an opportunity to learn about the programs and technology available to maximize the focus and support on the wellness of working women. Additionally, the Smithsonian Science Education Center will introduce their inquiry-based science education (IBSE) module that will focus on education surrounding mosquito borne diseases, such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and malaria within local and global communities.

Square Roots' Key Initiatives:

• BIRTHMARK® Cities: A national coalition of cities committed to improving maternal health. Led by each City's Mayor and a newly formed local task force, Member Cities become the connective tissue to convene and distribute the best science, education, tools, culture and services to pregnant women. A City Checklist guides community progress and is required for BIRTHMARK® membership.
     
• BIRTHMARK® City Playbook: A collaboration platform for Member Cities, the Playbook contains over 110 programs, best practices, and tools supporting maternal health and care. The Playbook's implementation is led by each City's local task force and is supported by Square Roots funded research, content, and partnerships.
     
• The BIRTHMARK® Corporate Platform: The employer platform and solution set of tools available to employers both within existing BIRTHMARK® cities and elsewhere. This is comprised of input by the employer focus group series, commenced in January 2017 seeking to address the many unmet needs of the pregnant workforce throughout the country.

About Square Roots
Square Roots (www.squareroots.com) is a mission-driven company focused on pregnancy health and wellness. By integrating new technology and scientific findings with intelligent partnerships from medicine to policy to maternal care takers, Square Roots brings needed solutions and resources to the most critical period of life: our beginning. We identify the highest impact programs and tools that have a proven health impact for mothers and coordinate the distribution of these programs and tools between academia, policy, public agencies, and private companies.

Contact:
Kayla Keller, 281-682-6212
Sara Gurkin, 202-280-2398
[email protected]

SOURCE Square Roots

Related Links

http://www.squareroots.com