Mothers giving birth to a newborn at Natividad Medical Center will receive two boxes worth of 400 diapers without an income limit, application or paperwork.
“The State of California through the Golden State Start Program pays for all the shipping and all the diapers,” says Hillary Fish, director of marketing and community relations for Natividad.
Distribution of these diapers began on Monday, July 13.
Golden State Start Program partners with Baby 2 Baby, a nonprofit organization providing diapers, formula clothing and other basic necessities for children throughout the country.
“Depending on the baby's weight, we give out a box of newborn diapers and a box of size one diapers,” Fish adds. “The diapers can last the families up to eight weeks.”
The newborn diapers go up to 10 pounds and the size one diapers go up to 14 pounds. Each package contains 25 diapers.
“With nearly half of Monterey County families choosing to have their baby at Natividad every year, Golden Gate Start is helping us put free diapers right into the hands of thousands of families,” Natividad Interim CEO Nancy Buscher said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with this program so parents can focus on what matters most—caring for their new baby.”
The Golden State Start program is prioritizing hospitals with higher Medi-Cal populations and the goal is to get the service across all hospitals in California, according to Fish.
Orange County Global Medical Center, in Santa Ana, is the only other hospital to distribute these free diapers since June 26.
In the last fiscal year, there were about 2,200 babies born at the Natividad Medical Center, according to Fish.