Holy Cross Health Receives Half Million Dollar Investment From the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation

Philanthropic Organization Supports Local Health System Expansion of Women and Infants’ Programs

Silver Spring, MD (August 30, 2023) — The Holy Cross Health Foundation was awarded $552,000 by the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation to help increase equitable access to quality prenatal and perinatal care. The investment will expand clinical services, ensuring a healthy start for all babies and families who receive care at Holy Cross Health every day.

Many of Holy Cross Health’s women and infant initiatives provide care for the underserved, uninsured, immigrant, and under-insured local families who otherwise would not have access to quality health care. The programs help to lessen the economic strain on families by offering a comprehensive approach to care. Families have access to specially trained staff, physicians, and team members focusing on critical care, so that when the unexpected happens, families know they are in the best place for care for their baby.

“Each year, more than 10,000 babies are born at Holy Cross. The programs that we offer provide our community newborns and infants a fighting chance at life,” said Norvell V. Coots, MD, MSS, FAAD, president & CEO, Holy Cross Health. “We go beyond providing great care – we increase access to care with a relentless commitment to the most vulnerable patients and connecting them with services outside of the acute care setting. We help ensure parents and children in the DC metropolitan area have the best opportunity to live healthy lives.”

The Women and Infants’ programs include the Tiny Baby Program and Holy Cross Health Maternity Partnership Program, both providing a holistic approach to care – working in partnership with mothers who have often been overlooked. Despite the hurdles of the pandemic, implementation of the Tiny Baby Program began in 2020, developing specialized protocols focusing on the unique needs of our tiniest patients – babies born as early as 22-25 weeks gestation. Since 1999, thousands of patients were cared for through the Holy Cross Health Maternity Partnership Program, a collaborative agreement between Holy Cross Health and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services to provide maternity services to patients in need, regardless of their ability to pay. The program works with women to help build a positive healthcare relationship that goes through their pregnancy, post-pregnancy, and throughout their lifetimes.

“The Clark Foundation remains committed to building a comprehensive system of care for parents and children in the Washington DC region,” says Joe Del Guercio, president & CEO of the Clark Foundation. “We look forward to our partnership with Holy Cross Health as they remain dedicated to providing equitable and accessible health services to families in our community.”

The funding will also support new technology in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and staff training including two life-like Labor and Delivery maternal/neonatal simulators that will help continue educating clinicians, nurses, and staff on how to best care for laboring patients, deliveries, and critically ill babies and mothers.

“We are grateful and honored to partner with the Clark Foundation to pursue the next level of innovation in care for our area’s women and children. We look forward to the great impact this gift will make in our community,” said Alisa Smallwood, CFRE, Chief Development Officer, Holy Cross Health.