These grants are one of the many ways the March of Dimes pursues its mission of saving babies by preventing birth defects, preterm birth, and infant mortality.

State Grants are awarded in amounts ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 and must address one of the priority areas outlined in the Request for Proposals.

These priority areas are broken down into the following general categories:

• Increasing Access to and Quality of Health Care for Women and Infants
• Increasing Availability of Prevention Services
• Increasing Availability of Genetics Services and Folic Acid Education
• Enhancing SIDS Education

The 2007 March of Dimes Florida Chapter recipients are:

AME Ministerial Alliance: Hold Out the Lifeline - Provides outreach and education to families through African American Episcopal (AME) churches in Florida in order to educate family members about risks for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The project also provides “Project Moses” bassinets; giving babies a safer sleep environment.

University of Florida: A Folic Acid Educational Program for Worksite Health/Wellness Promotion - This program focuses on the development of a folic acid educational program for worksite health/wellness promotion programs.  Materials will be used to educate employees about the health benefits of folic acid, particularly with regard to birth defect risk reduction.

Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition, Inc.: Healthy Pregnancy Network Education Project - The Healthy Pregnancy Network Education Project will provide critical prevention information to the community to decrease infant mortality and racial disparities in birth outcomes.

Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County: Zero Exposure Training Project - This project will provide regional community-based education and conferences throughout Florida, primarily to benefit trained professionals who will screen pregnant women with an increased sensitivity in the areas of substance use with an emphasis on alcohol consumption.  As a result of the training pregnant women will receive appropriate referrals.

Collier County Health Department: Links to Healthy Babies - This project will target pregnant migrant women to help make sure they obtain continuous prenatal care, even when moving around the state for work.  Seeks to increase the number of women enrolling in the WIC program for nutritional services, and to increase enrollment in prenatal care through outreach and education.

University of Miami School of Medicine: Interconception Education for High-risk women - This program targets high-risk women who have had a preterm infant (less than 1500 grams) infant in the NICU after hospital discharge, to provide home-based education and support, including folic acid education, care coordination, smoking cessation, nutrition, psychosocial, and substance abuse education and support to reduce the risk of subsequent preterm births.

The 2008 Grant Request for Proposals will be due in July.  More information will be available at the end of May.