JANUARY 26, 2018

TELUS Health digitally enables new parents to track their baby’s health from birth

New TELUS Baby Health mobile app empowers parents as an educational resource and keeps health information in one easy to access, secure digital record

Vancouver – Today, TELUS Health announced the launch of the TELUS Baby Health app, a free digital tool to create a health record for infants and an educational resource for new and expecting parents. Through a partnership with The Baby Box Company, a global organization that empowers new parents with access to free education and resources that are essential to helping babies have a healthy start, TELUS Health will offer the TELUS Baby Health app to Canadian parents via Baby Boxes. Baby Boxes contain free products and information for parents and are also fitted with a Health Canada-certified mattress, creating a safe sleeping environment for babies until they can pull themselves up.

The TELUS Baby Health app supports parents in taking control of their baby’s health by tracking and monitoring their child’s health information and developmental milestones from birth, creating an easy-to-access, digital health record on a smartphone or tablet. The app not only keeps a baby’s important health information in one place, but also gives parents access to a rich library of curated video and written content, arming them with the information they need during their infant’s first 18 months.

“We want to empower Canadians with the right information, tools and support they need to lead healthier and happier lives. Our new Baby Health app helps new parents build a digital health record for life for their baby. They will have everything they need regarding the health of their child in the palm of their hands, anytime and anywhere they need it. This will help ensure better healthcare experiences through all stages of life,” said Juggy Sihota, vice president, Consumer Health, TELUS.

Reliable access to a child’s historic health information enables Canadian parents to be more informed about their child’s wellbeing and proactively monitor their health. Further, using a digital tool that can be easily accessed and updated in real-time with information such as allergies, immunizations, medications and illnesses not only builds a child’s health history, but also keeps all information in one place for quick reference when visiting healthcare providers and helps to create stronger doctor-patient communication.

“In Canada, The Baby Box Co. helps thousands of parents give their children a healthy start, right from day one,” said Jennifer Clary, Founder, The Baby Box Co. “Partnering with TELUS to bring the Baby Box education program to more Canadians will empower new and expecting parents and help them feel confident about making the best decisions for their children’s care as they embark on the journey of parenthood. We’re also thrilled TELUS has invested in the health of our youngest Canadians by sharing the TELUS Baby Health app with recipients of our Baby Boxes.”

More than a decade ago, TELUS made a bold decision to leverage its world-class innovation and technology to tackle the challenges facing Canada’s healthcare system. Since then, the company has invested $2 billion to bring health solutions to market that improve collaboration and the flow of patient information across primary healthcare providers. Digital tools, such as the TELUS Baby Health app, can help shift how the majority of Canadians currently manage their health by empowering them to proactively monitor their well-being and have improved access to their complete health information.

Baby Boxes will be available nationwide in English and French. The TELUS Baby Health app is currently available in English with new content being added regularly; a French version of the app will be available in the coming months containing French parenting content. To download the app for free, parents can visit the Apple App Store or Google Play.

At TELUS, good health is a community effort, so for every account registered on the TELUS Baby Health app, TELUS will give $5 to Make-A-Wish® Canada until November 2018, up to a maximum of $10,000, to help fulfill the hopes and dreams of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

For more information visit: telus.com/babyhealth and follow the conversation on social media using #BabyHealthApp.

About Baby Boxes

The use of baby boxes has been associated with Finland's efforts to achieve one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. The Finnish initiative, which allows all expecting women in the country to claim a free baby box once they have received prenatal care and parenting information from a health professional, is aiming to help reduce the infant mortality rate in Finland from 65 deaths per 1,000 children born in 1938 to 2.26 deaths per 1,000 births in 2015.

About The Baby Box Co.

The Baby Box Co. is an innovative, integrated program that empowers parents with education, products and services to provide children everywhere an equal start to life. The Baby Box Co. partners with brands, hospitals, government agencies and non-profit organizations to provide Baby Boxes, quality products, resources and ongoing education to families on a large scale. The Baby Boxes, which are made from a durable cardboard and are proactively certified to meet the highest level of available safety standards by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), as well as Health Canada and EN Standard regulations for bassinets, can be used as a baby’s bed for the first months of life. While parents appreciate the Baby Boxes and quality care products included, it is the educational component and closer communication with local healthcare providers that is at the centre of the Baby Box University program. Families are required to view their community’s online curriculum before receiving a free Baby Box. Serving families in 52 countries, The Baby Box Co. has offices in the USA, UK, Canada, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.babyboxco.com and www.babyboxuniversity.com.

TELUS Health

TELUS Health is a leader in telehomecare, electronic medical and health records, consumer health, benefits management and pharmacy management. TELUS Health solutions give health authorities, providers, physicians, pharmacists, patients and consumers the power to turn information into better health outcomes. For more information about TELUS Health, please visit telushealth.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jill Yetman
TELUS Social and Media Relations
(416) 992-2639
[email protected]

Erica Labovitz
The Baby Box Co.
(773) 415-5101
[email protected]