Expectant mothers today are interacting with their health care well beyond the walls of a traditional clinic. From virtual check-ins to at-home monitoring, telehealth has become a natural extension of maternal care. Pregnancy apps have emerged as part of that shift, giving women an easy way to track symptoms, monitor baby growth and access guidance right from their phones. These tools are not replacing care, but are expanding it, helping mothers manage their health between appointments and reducing costs through preventive care that catches concerns earlier.

As these digital tools grow more common, their role in maternal health has become clearer. Pregnancy apps have gained traction among women, with many women in high-income countries now using them as a standard part of prenatal care. Philips, a leading health technology company, has rapidly scaled its Pregnancy+ app over the last decade to reach 1.5 million US users annually. The app helps expectant mothers and families track their baby’s development and adopt healthy pregnancy-related habits to improve maternal health outcomes. Recently, Philips partnered with heartland state governments and non-profit leaders to create state-specific versions of the Pregnancy+ app to remove barriers to maternal health care, such as transportation distance and cost. In addition to the national educational tools, instructional courses and development trackers that exist on the app, Philips now connects mothers in Michigan and Arkansas to resources that can be accessed immediately, including state social services, making maternal health easier to navigate for the women who need greater maternal health support in places where they live.

Michigan’s First-of-its-Kind Partnership with Philips

In 2020, when Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer launched the Healthy Moms Healthy Babies Initiative, 44% of maternal deaths in Michigan were deemed preventable, a stark indicator of the need to improve access to maternal health care, extend postpartum Medicaid coverage, connect residents to social services and reduce maternal mortality and complications during pregnancy.

Three years later, in January 2023, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced a pioneering public-private partnership with Philips to integrate Michigan specific maternal health resources into the Pregnancy+ app. Medicaid-eligible pregnant and postpartum mothers received state sponsored access to the app, which provides information on state services, like the Michigan Home Visiting initiative, along with breastfeeding support, mental health resources and more.

Throughout 2023, over 32,000 Michigan families used the Pregnancy+ app, with over 8,500 Medicaid-eligible families connecting to the Michigan-specific content. A survey revealed that nearly 80% of respondents said the app increased their awareness of Michigan’s maternal health resources; half reported accessing services after learning about them through the app. Encouraged by this strong engagement, Michigan and Philips later extended their partnership and expanded the program to include premium courses, from nutrition to yoga, and additional Michigan-specific content.

Arkansas’s Non-Profit Maternal Health Leadership with the Pregnancy+ App

In March 2024, Governor Sanders issued an Executive Order to Support Moms, Protect Babies and Improve Maternal Health, to strengthen care in Arkansas. The order established the Arkansas Strategic Committee for Maternal Health, which later delivered maternal health recommendations focused on improving data systems, education, clinical practices and access to care across Arkansas. The committee’s recommendations informed the February 2025 Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, which introduced updates to Medicaid eligibility, provider reimbursement and telehealth services to improve maternal outcomes statewide.

With these maternal health reforms underway, Ingeborg Initiatives—a nonprofit dedicated to empowering Arkansas mothers through improved access to maternal care and increased economic opportunity—emerged as a partner for Philips to bring the Pregnancy+ app and state-specific content to Arkansas. The state-specific version launched in March of 2025.

“Through our collaboration with Philips, we were able to bring Arkansas moms a state-specific version of the Pregnancy+ app to deliver clear and comprehensive information, from how to access state support programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and Medicaid to practical tools building health literacy and promoting healthy habits throughout pregnancy,” explained Anna Koelsch, Director of Ingeborg Initiatives. “We hope the Pregnancy+ app becomes a lasting resource for Arkansas moms, removing barriers to accessing vital information and achieving healthy pregnancies and healthier lives.” Koelsch also confirmed that 16,500+ mothers joined the app since its launch in Arkansas, 36% of whom identified as Medicaid-eligible, demonstrating how the app fills a critical care gap for women needing specialized support. 

Arkansas users have accessed guides on applying for Medicaid benefits, scheduled appointments at local health clinics and accessed federal social services, a testament to the effectiveness of state-tailored content leveraged on the Pregnancy+ app to increase awareness of and access to critical maternal health resources.

“When trusted public resources are paired with technology people already use, we can connect more Arkansas moms to care and support sooner,” said Cassie Cochran, Deputy Director for Public Health Programs at the Arkansas Department of Health. “Partnerships like these reduce gaps in access and strengthen maternal health across the state.”

How Heartland States Can Learn from Michigan and Arkansas

Michigan and Arkansas offer two complementary models for leveraging technology to improve maternal health care. Michigan’s use of the Pregnancy+ app demonstrates a public-private partnership between a state and a technology provider, while Arkansas shows how non-profit directed collaboration can complement state led developments. Both examples exhibit the utility of embedding state-specific resources, programs and support tools directly into a digital platform mothers already use. 

Heartland states looking to improve maternal health outcomes can reference these partnerships as scalable models to improve access to health care information and resources for expectant mothers. Whether through Michigan’s public-private collaboration or Arkansas’ non-profit leadership, the state-specific Pregnancy+ model supports mothers before, during and after birth by making sure essential resources are both available and accessible.