NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee program that helps families with young children save money on diapers is celebrating its first anniversary after providing more than 36 million diapers to families across the state.
The TennCare diaper benefit program, the first of its kind in the nation, has helped more than 70,000 children in its inaugural year. The program provides up to 100 free diapers per month to TennCare and CoverKids members with children under 2-years-old.
"It takes such a relief of the stress of parenting, you already have so many things you're taking into account. And if having access to clean diapers for your child is a part and a challenge for you not only is that a logistical challenge, it is a health concern, but it's also been a mental health challenge as well for our parents as they kind of navigate all the different things they have to do when they're new parents," Dr. Victor Wu said.
Wu serves as TennCare's chief medical officer and said the program addresses both financial and health concerns for families.
The program operates through more than 400 participating pharmacies across 92 counties statewide. Families with TennCare or CoverKids coverage can visit any participating pharmacy to receive their free diapers. Here is a map of the pharmacies to find the location nearest to you.
Wu said locating the program within pharmacies provides additional benefits beyond just diaper access.
"Getting their medications that they might need when they go to the pharmacy, they get the diapers, being reminded to get their recommended vaccines or recommended well-child visits, as well. And so, the whole thing has kind of been working together to really help our families be able to take care of their young kids and get them the services that they need," Wu said.
Officials hope to expand the program to more counties and stores while offering more varieties of diapers in the future.
Watch the full report to learn more about how Tennessee families can access this free diaper program and discover what other health benefits come with visiting participating pharmacies. If you have more information about this story you can contact Eric.Pointer@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported by Eric Pointer and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Eric Pointer and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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