Community health worker support plus guaranteed basic income for families with newborns
Advancing Health Equity Via Basic Income + Early Childhood Systems Integration: An RCT of the Baby Bonus Program
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
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 2400 (estimated) |
| Ages | 0 Days and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Stanford University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Palo Alto, California) |
| Trial ID | NCT07261254 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
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.
Who should consider this trial
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.
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.
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 performed: 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.
Eligibility criteria
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 this trial is running
Palo Alto, California
- 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
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.