CDC Foundation Supports Nationwide Expansion of HHS Initiative Providing Newborn Essentials to Families

Newborn Essentials Support Toolkit Initiative Launches First in West Virginia, Providing Supplies, Resources and Support to Families Welcoming a New Baby

ATLANTA, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The CDC Foundation today announced its support for the nationwide expansion of the Newborn Essentials Support Toolkit (NEST) Initiative, beginning with a launch in West Virginia. The initiative provides new mothers and families with essential newborn and postpartum supplies, educational information and connections to resources during the critical first weeks after birth.

For many families, welcoming a baby comes at a time of significant financial and emotional pressure. Families face new expenses for diapers, feeding, clothing, hygiene products and other necessities at the same time they may experience reduced income. The challenge of meeting these immediate needs can add to the anxiety families may already experience during the postpartum period. By helping families access essential supplies for themselves and their newborns, NEST seeks to ease some of the immediate pressures associated with welcoming a new baby while also helping families feel supported and reducing worry about meeting their baby's basic needs during the postpartum period.

The NEST Initiative is designed to help address these challenges by prioritizing families in communities with the greatest need and families who receive or are eligible for Medicaid, providing a one-time package of essential newborn and postpartum supplies, practical educational information and connections to additional resources.

The West Virginia launch is part of the broader national NEST Initiative led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) in coordination with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The CDC Foundation is serving as a key implementation partner. Philanthropic support from Elaine and John Chambers and Merck for Mothers is helping expand the initiative's reach in West Virginia and in other communities.

"NEST brings together federal leadership, philanthropic investment and trusted local health organizations in a coordinated national model," said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. "Through our partnership with HHS, we are helping translate federal investment into implementation—supporting the infrastructure, partnerships, evaluation and private-sector engagement needed to move kits from a national initiative into the hands of mothers and families who need them most in communities across the country."

Working in coordination with HHS, the CDC Foundation serves as an implementation partner, helping coordinate the operational infrastructure needed to deliver NEST to families while supporting evaluation and learning to understand the initiative's reach and impact. In addition, the CDC Foundation is mobilizing philanthropic and private-sector resources to complement federal investment, expand NEST's reach and deepen its impact in priority communities. These efforts are helping connect more families with essential supplies and resources during the earliest days of a child's life while building a foundation for the initiative's continued growth and implementation.

"Partnerships across government, philanthropy, the private sector and communities are essential to extending the reach of programs like NEST," Monroe said. "We are grateful to Elaine and John Chambers and Merck for Mothers for coming together to help support mothers, babies and families in West Virginia."

The NEST Initiative builds on the Newborn Supply Kit program launched by HHS as a pilot in 2023. Since then, the program has provided thousands of families with supplies and information to help them navigate the transition home with a newborn.

NEST Kits are designed to address the immediate needs of mothers and babies during the first days and weeks after birth. Kits include newborn care and hygiene supplies such as diapers and wipes, maternal postpartum recovery items, breastfeeding support products, a blood pressure monitor and educational resources.

Access to essential supplies, trusted information and connections to services are important components of broader efforts to support maternal and child health, particularly during pregnancy and the transition home with a newborn. NEST complements the CDC Foundation's broader maternal and infant health work to strengthen the systems, services and supports surrounding mothers and babies. This includes work with Perinatal Quality Collaboratives and other partners to improve the quality of maternal and infant care, advance evidence-based practices and strengthen the use of data for continuous improvement. Together, these efforts reflect a comprehensive approach to supporting mothers and babies across pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.

In coordination with initiative partners, participating healthcare and maternal health organizations will provide NEST kits directly to mothers and families. In West Virginia, the public-private partnership model is helping extend NEST's reach by pairing federal leadership with privately funded implementation support. Through support from the CDC Foundation and its private-sector partners, Cribs for Kids is assisting with kit distribution to participating organizations for the West Virginia launch. Partner organizations will begin providing kits to families today.

About the CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation is an independent nonprofit authorized by Congress to mobilize philanthropic partners to support the public health system, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in preventing and responding to threats to health. In this role, we are focused on one priority: building catalytic, flexible and impactful partnerships—with corporations, organizations and individuals—to help improve the health and lives of people in all communities, everywhere. Visit www.cdcfoundation.org for more information. Follow the CDC Foundation on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

SOURCE CDC Foundation