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WEEKLY NEWS 1: March of Dimes Launches Campaign

On Thursday, January 16, 2003, the March of Dimes launched the national Prematurity Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to help fight premature births, which is a growing problem.

The campaign was launched in Southern California at a healthcare conference site. The initiative is to last five years and will cost $75 million. The money will be used to research the causes of premature birth. The campaign will also try to help educate healthcare professionals, parents and the general public about premature birth.

Why is this important? About 460,000 babies are born premature every year, and it‘s the leading cause of infant deaths. Of those that survive, about half suffer serious lifelong health problems such as mental retardation, developmental delays, blindness, deafness, and cerebral palsy. The rate of premature birth is increasing every year. Some of these babies weigh less than two pounds when they’re born, and they must spend weeks or months in the hospital before the parents can bring them home.

The March of Dimes, which is sponsoring this campaign, is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, and infant deaths. It was founded in 1938 and uses the money it raises for programs and education that help save the lives of babies.

--Written by Carla Shives

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