The March of Dimes Michigan Chapter launched a five-year; $75 million Premature Campaign at the Capitol Rotunda to raise awareness about prematurity, which affects 467,000 U.S., babies each year, and about 15,000 Michigan babies annually.
The campaign moved on to Flint, Grand Rapids and Detroit. Doctors admit more research needs to be done to determine what actually causes premature births. They believe early and proper prenatal care can help reduce the number of premature births.
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March of Dimes
March of Dimes researchers, volunteers, educators, outreach workers and advocates work together to give all babies a fighting chance against the threats to their health: prematurity, birth defects, low birthweight.
- The March of Dimes helps pregnant women know what to worry about and what not to worry about when it comes to having a healthy baby.
- Through the Pregnancy & Newborn Health Education Center women can get free one-on-one, confidential answers to their questions about pregnancy, preconception, newborn screening and related topics.
- Each year, more than 460,000 babies are born too soon, some so small they can fit in the palm of a hand.
- Many of these babies must fight just to survive; others will struggle with lifelong health problems.
- No one knows what causes half of all premature births. No one is working harder than the March of Dimes to find out.
- Genetic birth defects leave children unable to walk, to hear, to think, or even to fight off disease.
- March of Dimes investments in genetic research already are starting to yield results.
- Two March of Dimes-funded grantees have used gene therapy successfully in treating hemophilia and retinitis pigmentosa in the lab, giving hope that we are closer to a cure for these genetic birth defects.
- No parents should have to choose between feeding their child and buying the medicines he or she needs. Yet, this happens every day in America because more than 9 million children have no health coverage.
- For many of these children, this means they can’t get preventive checkups, immunizations, or treatment for common childhood illnesses.
- The March of Dimes is fighting so that all babies, children and pregnant women get health insurance.
For more information on the March of Dimes or on how you can help, visit our source: http://www.marchofdimes.org (The March of Dimes Web site)