By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-12-02 15:35:30 | Word Count: 985
For the second consecutive year, Georgia earned a grade of `F` on the second annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card but it showed improvement on criteria that can help give all babies a healthy start in life. The March of Dimes released its second annual report card today, the 7th Annual Prematurity Awareness Day, when the March of Dimes focuses the nation’s attention on the growing problem of premature birth (birth before 37 weeks gestation). Also for the second consecutive year, the United States earned only a `D` on the Report Card, demonstrating that more than a half million of our nation’s newborns didn’t get the healthy start they deserved. As in 2008, no state earned an `A` and only Vermont received a `B.`
Here in Georgia we are proud of our hard work in key areas of criteria on the report card and hope our efforts will spur a decline in our preterm birth rate,` said William Sexson MD, Vice Chair of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine and March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign Chair. `We have a long way to go before all babies in America get a healthy start in life and we are committed to working with state health officials, hospitals and health care providers to continue to fight for preemies.`
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* Criteria that affect preterm birth improved in Georgia where we earned a star for: Reducing the percent of uninsured women of child-bearing age;
* Lowering the late preterm birth rate.
In Georgia, the rate of late preterm births is (10.4 percent); in women of child bearing age ((18-44), the rate of women smoking is (19.3 percent), and the rate of uninsured women is (22.6 percent).
In the US, more than 540,000 babies are born too soon each year. Preterm birth is a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26 billion annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. It is the leading cause of newborn death and babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifetime health challenges, such as breathing problems, mental retardation and others. A March of Dimes report released in October found that 13 million babies worldwide were born preterm and more than one million die each year. Quality improvement programs are key to lowering preterm birth rates. The Georgia Chapter is working to implement the March of Dimes national objectives of ensuring that all eligible women of child-bearing age are enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Chapter is also encouraging health care systems to implement protocols, checklists and review procedures to prevent unnecessary early inductions and c-sections.
* Other Georgia Chapter initiatives include: Prenatal Care: Funding sites in Georgia to implement CenteringPregnancy® - a group model of prenatal care developed by the Centering Healthcare Institute. It combines assessment, education and support in a group setting. The Obstetrics & Gynecology Journal 2007 found that women who received Centering Pregnancy care were less likely to have preterm births than women who receive standard care. It is implemented in sites such as community health centers, hospital and public health clinics, private offices and HMOs. www.centeringpregnancy.com
* Interconception Care: The March of Dimes is working with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in reducing disparities in premature birth by testing models of delivering preconception and prenatal education and services to minority women. Through collaboration with the Augusta Partnership for Children (APAC), a Healthy Start site, the Georgia chapter provides support for case management and health education to women with previous preterm birth. The program serves primarily women in Augusta-Richmond County. The topics range from family planning and pregnancy spacing to chronic diseases, folic acid/nutrition and smoking cessation.
* Smoking Cessation: The Office of Healthy Behaviors in the Georgia Division of Public Health has contracted the services of the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC) to assist state of Georgia’s tobacco cessation efforts. March of Dimes will lead the Education Workgroup and train healthcare providers and select universities in evidenced-based cessation strategies and treatment options to help women quit smoking. The group identified healthcare providers in Central and Southeast Georgia where there is the largest prevalence of smokers.
* Low Birth Weight Initiative: The March of Dimes has been selected as a lead agency by the Georgia Children’s Health Alliance (GCHA) - a statewide collaboration uniting public, private, not-for-profit, business and community sectors, and pediatric health experts to develop risk reduction efforts in three critical child health issues: childhood obesity, low birth weight and infant mortality, and child abuse. Visit www.thegcha.org
* Education programs: With the goal of a healthy start for every baby, the March of Dimes is working to increase public awareness on prematurity and educate public on long term consequences of preterm birth. We plan to achieve this through community outreach initiatives and events, along with educational seminars to health care providers in order to identify high risk women and tailor targeted intervention to prevent preterm birth.
Prematurity Awareness Month events are happening throughout November, including special activities for families in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support Programs at Atlanta Medical Center and Memorial Hospital in Savannah, professional education opportunities for healthcare providers, Give Back Nights at local restaurants and recently, the March of Dimes annual gala which raised more than $160,000 for prematurity research, education and NICU resources. Visit marchofdimes.com/Georgia.
The March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality
