Community health worker support plus guaranteed basic income for families with newborns
Official title: Advancing Health Equity Via Basic Income + Early Childhood Systems Integration: An RCT of the Baby Bonus Program
Run by Stanford University · NCT07261254 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether community health workers, with or without a guaranteed basic income, help English- and Spanish-speaking Medicaid families with newborns use more health and social services and support better early child development.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 0 Days and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 2400 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Stanford University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Palo Alto, California) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | April 7, 2025 |
| Main results expected | March 2030 |
| Study ends | March 2030 |
| Registry record updated | February 12, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07261254 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Caregivers aged 18 or older who speak English or Spanish, plan to remain in San Mateo County for at least a year, have a singleton newborn (≥36 weeks) enrolled in Medicaid and being discharged home in their custody are the ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Families not enrolled in Medicaid, planning to leave San Mateo County within a year, with multiple births or newborns with significant genetic disorders, or caregivers unable to consent or with major cognitive impairment are unlikely to receive benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled trial enrolls English- and Spanish-speaking caregiver–newborn dyads from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and randomizes families to community health worker (CHW) support alone or CHW plus a guaranteed basic income. Outcomes include health and social services utilization, Medicaid engagement, and standardized measures of early child development, with data linked from electronic health records. The design was co-created with families, county partners and community organizations and is anchored at a university children's hospital with multiple community collaborators. The trial tests whether integrating CHWs with income support improves service navigation and developmental outcomes during the critical 0–5 early childhood period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the intervention could increase families' access to services and income support, improving early childhood development and longer-term health trajectories.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows community health workers can improve service use and some guaranteed basic income pilots have improved family economic stability, but combining CHWs with ongoing basic income in an RCT focused on newborn outcomes is relatively novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Caregiver Eligibility Criteria * 18 and Older * Family plans to reside in San Mateo County * Does not plan to move from the County in the next year * Speaks English and/or Spanish * Cared for in Postpartum Maternity unit Child Eligibility Criteria * Baby is being cared for in well newborn nursery * Child is enrolled in Medicaid * 36 weeks or older * To be discharged home in the custody of the caregiver Exclusion Criteria: Caregiver Exclusion Criteria * Will not consent to share data via Epic/Study * Caregiver has significant cognitive impairment * Caregiver under contact isolation Child Exclusion Criteria * Sibling already enrolled in the Baby Bonus Study * Child has significant genetic disorder issues at birth * Child is a multiple (not a singleton)
Where it's running
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Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford
Palo Alto, California, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Ryan Padrez, MD — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Elise Kuechle, MA
- Email: ekuechle@stanford.edu
- Phone: (650) 498-5684
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.