|
MARCH
25, 2003 | The Arkansas chapter of the
March of Dimes launched a five-year
campaign to reduce premature births in
Arkansas with a ceremony at the University
of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)
today.
”We are extremely proud that UAMS is our
partner,” Pam Ashcraft, chair of the
Arkansas campaign, said. UAMS researchers
have several grants from the March of
Dimes.
The March of Dimes, a leading voluntary
health organization dedicated to
preventing birth defects and infant
mortality, plans a $75 million program of
public awareness, research, maternal
education, and efforts to promote better
identification of women at-risk of
premature labor and greater access to
health insurance for pregnant women.
The Arkansas chapter hopes to reduce the
rate of premature births in the state from
one in eight to one in 10, Ashcraft said.
Prematurity is a “common, serious, and
very costly burden” to society and to
families, she said.
According to the March of Dimes,
prematurity is a major risk factor for
childhood illness and disability, leading
to approximately 100,000 new cases of
neurodevelopmental disabilities annually,
including cerebral palsy, chronic
respiratory problems, infections, vision
and hearing problems, and reduced
nutrition and growth.
Pre-term
birth is the second highest cause of
infant death (babies who die in their
first year of life); approximately 476,000
babies were born prematurely in the
United States this year – at 37 weeks or
less of a normal 40 week pregnancy,
Ashcraft said.
Dean E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.,
of the UAMS College of Medicine, praised
the March of Dimes for supporting basic
and clinical research on the causes and
treatment of prematurity. “The March of
Dimes is a wonderful organization,” he
said. Dean Reece, a prominent researcher
on complications of diabetes in pregnancy,
serves on a national scientific advisory
board for the March of Dimes.
Whit Hall, M.D., medical director of the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UAMS, also
praised the March of Dimes for helping
reduce the threats of polio, birth
defects, and prematurity. |
|
E-mail This Article