Community Health Charities of Florida - November 2011

Community Health Charities and March of Dimes – Working together for stronger, healthier babies.

Every year in the United States, more than 543,000 babies face an early birthday.  Many of these babies spend a lifetime struggling with disabilities and health problems.  Here in the U.S., premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death. Around the world, more than a million babies die each year after being born too soon.

This November, the March of Dimes is working to raise awareness and funds for programs that help moms have healthier babies. Prematurity Awareness Month kicks off on November 1 with the release of the 4th Annual March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card.

Thursday, November 17 will mark the first-ever World Prematurity Day.  In partnership with organizations from Africa, Europe and Australia, March of Dimes is taking the prematurity message global.  Go to  facebook.com/worldprematurityday and show your support for global prematurity prevention. You can join this virtual campaign by changing your Facebook status to reflect a prematurity awareness message: “I honor the million babies born too soon worldwide who died this year and the 12 million more struggling to survive. Join me on World Prematurity Day.

The March of Dimes has also launched the Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait™ Education Campaign, which advises pregnant women to wait until at least 39 weeks to induce labor or have a c-section if it is needed. Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait was developed in response to the growing number of inductions and c-sections prior to 39 weeks for non-medical reasons.  Getting to at least 39 weeks gives your baby the time he or she needs to grow. There are lots of important things happening to your baby in the last few weeks of pregnancy. For example, your baby's brain and lungs are still growing.  If your pregnancy is healthy, wait for labor to begin on its own.  For more information on this critically important topic or for a list of questions you can ask your doctor, please visit marchofdimes.com/39weeks.

Important News for Businesses!  March of Dimes has a free tool to help employees make better healthcare decisions. Healthy Babies, Healthy Business is a multi-dimensional health education program for the workplace. It offers six resources to help companies improve employee health and the health of the company's bottom line.  For an online demonstration of the program, please visit marchofdimes.com/hbhb.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit 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. For the latest resources and information, please visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.nacersano.org. You can also find March of Dimes on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Source: March of Dimes