How We’re Working in Communities to Help Families Get the Diapers They Need
Key Highlights:
- Elevance Health is partnering with the National Diaper Bank Network to provide diapers to families in communities across the country.
- The 12-month project will reach thousands of families while helping address the health and financial challenges associated with diaper need.
- The partnership also involves research to better understand how diaper support affects family well-being.
It’s a challenge experienced by millions of families in the United States — one that cuts across lines of race, ethnicity, and income. It influences physical and mental health, strains financial stability and social connection, and has intensified in recent years.
Nationwide, 40% of families with children under age 4 who wear diapers find it financially challenging to buy enough diapers to keep their child clean and dry. The tradeoff for purchasing this basic health necessity can mean skipping meals or falling behind on bills.
“Diaper insecurity is a health-related social need that impacts the health of the parents and also the infant or child,” said Megan Smith, chief of innovation and impact for the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), which works with more than 240 community-based diaper banks across the U.S. to end diaper need.
To help address the need for diapers and provide support for families with young children, we’re partnering with the National Diaper Bank Network to provide diapers at no cost to up to 75 families per month in communities across the country. Diapers will be distributed monthly at 10 Welcome Rooms* operated by Elevance Health-affiliated Medicaid plans in Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California; Hialeah, Florida; Columbia, Missouri; Lakewood, New Jersey; Columbus and Toledo, Ohio; Houston; and Washington, D.C.
The 12-month pilot project will reach as many as 9,000 families in 2026, and it marks the first time diaper banks have partnered nationally with a managed care organization at this scale, Smith said. Data points to the difficulties it can help address: A survey-based study by Smith and others, for example, found diaper need was associated with increased visits to a pediatric care provider for diaper rash and urinary tract infections.
Beyond a child’s physical health, research also highlights that when families don’t have a sufficient supply of diapers, there are broader whole-health effects:
- Diaper need has been associated with symptoms of depression among mothers with lower incomes — more strongly than not having enough food to eat, according to another study co-authored by Smith. Many parents and caregivers experiencing diaper need report feeling alone, judged, or helpless.
- A lack of diapers can lead to lost wages: 1 in 4 parents or caregivers experiencing diaper need said they had to miss work or school because they couldn’t supply enough diapers for use during childcare.
- On average, it costs around $100 a month to diaper one child. Among families experiencing diaper need, one-third reported skipping meals so they could buy diapers.
“The decisions many families have to make every day are often difficult — they have to choose between paying utilities versus paying for food versus putting gas in their car to get to work,” said Dr. Adrienne McFadden, Elevance Health vice president and chief medical officer for Medicaid and Medicare. “The ability to take some of that burden off by knowing that your child is going to have a supply of diapers is really important.”
Our partnership with the NDBN seeks to support families and ease financial strain amid rising cost pressures. While families may be able to use some federal benefits for diapers (such as support available through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program), diapers are not eligible for purchase with benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
“For many families, the costs of everyday essentials can add up quickly,” McFadden said. “Efforts like this help support resilience and create opportunity for families who are experiencing those challenges and want the best start possible for their children.”
The partnership also seeks to deepen understanding of diaper need and the impact of this type of support. One caregiver in each family receiving diapers will be asked to complete a short, anonymous survey intended to measure how diaper distribution affects areas including health, economic stability, mental well-being, employment, and social connection.
Researchers also plan to examine medical claims codes within Elevance Health-affiliated Medicaid plans to help assess the potential association of conditions like diaper rash and urinary tract infection with diaper need.
“There hasn’t been a lot of work done to look at the prevalence of these types of conditions nationally among Medicaid beneficiaries,” Smith said. “We’re really eager to work with Elevance Health on that data to raise awareness about the extent of these issues in relation to diaper insecurity.”
*Welcome Rooms are community-based, in-person member support centers that serve as both customer service locations and local health hubs. Members can get help understanding their benefits, finding or changing a primary care provider, accessing care coordination, connecting to community resources, and updating account information. Welcome Rooms also function as community gathering spaces, hosting health fairs, educational workshops, enrollment assistance events, and other local outreach activities designed to support whole health.