HCA Healthcare Announces $1.5 Million HCA Healthcare Foundation Grant to Support March of Dimes' Low Dose, Big Benefits™ Campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, today announced 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. “The Low Dose, Big Benefits campaign is evidence-based and community-care focused, a winning combination when it comes to improving maternal health outcomes. By collaborating on this initiative and engaging clinicians and communities, we are confident we can achieve our goals of generating greater awareness and reaching a better understanding of how, when and why early-in-pregnancy preventive approaches are able to improve maternal care.”

“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.”

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 Company’s 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.

About HCA Healthcare Foundation

The mission of the HCA Healthcare Foundation is to promote health and well-being and strive to make a positive impact in all the communities HCA Healthcare serves. The Foundation accomplishes this mission by providing leadership, service and financial support to effective non-profit organizations working individually and collectively.

About HCA Healthcare

Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services comprising 191 hospitals and approximately 2,500 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44%. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its approximately 44 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives.

About March of Dimes

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, education, and advocacy, and provide programs and services so that every family can get the best possible start. Since 1938, we’ve built a successful legacy to support every pregnant person and every family. Visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org for more information

All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA Healthcare” as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.

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HCA HEALTHCARE:

Investor Contact:

Frank Morgan

615-344-2688

Media Contact:

Harlow Sumerford

615-344-1851

MARCH OF DIMES:

Media Contact:

press@marchofdimes.org

Source: HCA Healthcare