40 Weeks is Best Campaign
March of Dimes provides training and materials for our Speakers Bureau.  These men and women, most of whom have a mission connection with the March of Dimes, promote public education in the local communities.  The emphasis is on the importance of full term pregnancies. 

Healthy Babies, Healthy Business
March of Dimes has created an intranet-based supplement for a corporation’s existing health plan. The
program is free to organizations around the state and provides information to employees on preconception, pregnancy and infant health. Healthy Babies, Healthy Business helps improve the health of your employees, their babies and your company’s bottom line.

Nursing Education
March of Dimes provides a nursing module in which volunteer nurses provide education to nurses, company health care managers and health care companies on subjects like: preterm labor, diabetes and hypertension in pregnancy, caring for the obese patient, and drugs, alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy.

Alpha Project
A partnership program between the March of Dimes and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.  The curriculum is geared toward African American males, striving to help them make the right decisions about complex issues surrounding sexuality.  The program expects responsible behavior and mentors support and encourage young people. 

Newborn Screening
Newborn Screening is a testing process in which a drop of blood from a newborn’s heel is used to check for potentially fatal or disabling conditions. March of Dimes Arkansas advocated for every baby born in the state to be tested for 29 screens. September 2009,   newborns began being screened for all 29.  In the last year,
Newborn Screening was responsible for identifying approximately 8 Arkansas newborns that had a catastrophic but treatable disorder. These  babies were provided with immediate and successful treatment and follow up, thereby preventing a life-time of severe disability, impairment and in many cases death.
 
NICU Family Support
March of Dimes has a part-time specialist serving in the UAMS NICU.  The program complements the hospital’s existing family-centered services.  Our initiatives offer comfort, emotional support and information to families in crisis.  NICU Family Support served 758 families in 2009.

2010 CHAPTER GRANT:

The March of Dimes is entering a special initiative with the Arkansas Department of Health.  Grant funds will be utilized to support and train Community Health Workers in three of Arkansas’ most rural, delta counties.  These counties have a higher percentage of babies born prematurely, a higher percentage of low birth weight babies and highest infant mortality rate.  Community Health Workers will distribute health information, assist the families in accessing services and care, and make home visits to provide support.  The goal is to increase health literacy and to prolong the length of time between pregnancies, so as to decrease the risk of subsequent pre-term births.