DENVER, Colo., Oct. 22, 2004--The March of Dimes will host its first-ever, statewide conference on prematurity on Friday, November 5, 2004, at Denver's Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital. Any Colorado health provider who serves moms and babies is invited to attend. To sign up and for more information, those interested are encouraged to call the March of Dimes at (303) 692-0011 or visit prematuritypuzzle.com.

Entitled The Puzzle of Prematurity: Putting Together the Pieces to Improve the Health of Babies, the daylong conference will provide an overview of what's known now about prematurity and what the future might hold. Topics to be addressed by health-expert presenters and panelists will include: current research and data; risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment; resources available across Colorado; the family impact of prematurity; and, incorporating cultural diversity into patient counseling.

The Puzzle of Prematurity is presented by the March of Dimes as part of its Prematurity Campaign. This five-year public health initiative is aimed at decreasing the number of premature births and raising awareness of prematurity as a common and serious infant-health issue. Over the life of the campaign, the March of Dimes will invest $75 million nationwide in research and education to achieve these goals. The conference also kicks off Prematurity Awareness Month in Colorado. During November, a number of activities are planned to draw attention to prematurity.

Prematurity is defined as the birth of a baby three or more weeks before its due date. Since 1981, the incidence of prematurity has increased 29%. Prematurity has been identified both as the number-one cause of newborn death in the U.S. and (for babies who survive) a leading contributor to lifelong disabling conditions such as blindness, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. More than half the time, the causes of prematurity are not known. The national annual expense of prematurity has been estimated to be $13.6 billion. Both in Colorado and nationwide, one in eight babies is born prematurely.

"Prematurity is the number-one health concern facing Colorado babies. It's time for health providers to come together to share information and look at what is--and isn't--working in our state. We have a lot we can learn from each other," said Ron Gibbs, MD, medical chair of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign. Gibbs is Professor and Chairman and the E. Stewart Taylor Chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He is also the medical director of labor and delivery at the University of Colorado Hospital and a member of the national March of Dimes Scientific Advisory Committee on Prematurity.

The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign has been endorsed by the national and Colorado branches of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, in addition to the Colorado Hospital Association.

Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes is a nonprofit health organization whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. To achieve its mission, the March of Dimes funds research, community services, education and advocacy. Currently in Colorado, the March of Dimes funds $1.5 million in grants, plus operates its own healthy-baby programs. More information about the March of Dimes, and free infant and maternal health information, is available at marchofdimes.com (English) and nacersano.org (Spanish).