Bellsouth Center turns blue for national prematurity awareness day
Downtown Atlanta’s BellSouth Center will Light in Blue Nov.15-19,
as a Tribute to Families of Premature Babies
WHAT: BellSouth Center lights in blue
WHY: As a tribute and moment of hope for families of premature babies
WHERE: 675 West Peachtree St., Atlanta, GA
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 15 - Friday, Nov. 19
ATLANTA, GA – November 11, 2004 – Downtown Atlanta’s BellSouth Center will be lit in blue next week in observance of National Prematurity Awareness Day (November 16, 2004.) The 47-story building has been part of the Atlanta skyline since 1981 and will have its blue lights up from Monday, Nov. 15 until Friday, Nov. 19 as a tribute and moment of hope for families of premature babies. This lighting is part of a BellSouth partnership with the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter to bring awareness to the growing problem of prematurity throughout the state.
This lighting is also part of a national March of Dimes initiative with pink and blue lightings throughout the country during the month of November. These tributes include: Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston, Wacker Towers in Chicago, Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building in Detroit, CIGNA Building at the Galleria in Houston, the Bank of America Building in Miamiand many more.
"BellSouth is proud to have worked with the March of Dimes for more than ten years. By lighting BellSouth Center, we hope to bring attention to the worthy cause of infant prematurity," said Phil Jacobs, President of Georgia Operations, BellSouth.
BellSouth has consistently been one of the top March of Dimes WalkAmerica teams, raising more than $350,000 over the last decade to help save babies. Within the last five years, Cingular has also formed a team and contributed close to $100,000.
The state of Georgia has one of the highest premature birth rates in the country, with 323 preterm and 53 very preterm babies born each week.* In fact, in 2002, 12.6% of all births in the state of Georgia were preterm!
"Prematurity is a serious problem in Georgia, affecting hundreds of families each week," said Dr. George Bugg, neonatologist with Grady Hospital and March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign Chair. "Georgia has a fast growing population which means that at the current rate, more and more families in our state will be affected by a premature birth unless something is done."
In correlation with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s recent proclamation of November as Georgia Prematurity Awareness Month, the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter will host a Prematurity Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004, at the Georgia Tech Conference Center coliseum in Atlanta. The Summit will provide an opportunity for decision-makers throughout the state to learn more about the seriousness of prematurity and the role of the March of Dimes in addressing the issue.
Prematurity is a silent crisis in America and has been escalating steadily and alarmingly over the past two decades. Between 1981 and 2002, the rate of premature births in the country rose from 9.4 percent to 12.1, an increase of more than 29 percent! It now affects one out of every eight babies born in the United States. Preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman and in nearly half the cases, no one knows why. Premature birth is the leading cause of death within the first month of life and the second leading cause of death within the first year.
In 2003, the March of Dimes launched its Prematurity Campaign, a five-year, $75 million research, awareness and education campaign to help families have healthier babies. The campaign includes: funding research to find the causes of premature birth, educating families about the warning signs of premature labor and what can be done to prevent it, providing support to families of babies in the NICU, expanding access to health care coverage so that more women can get prenatal care, helping health care providers learn ways to help reduce the risk of early delivery, and advocating for access to insurance to improve maternity care and infant health outcomes.
ABOUT BELLSOUTH
BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and a parent company of Cingular Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless voice and data provider. Backed by award winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available in the market. Through BellSouth Answers®, residential and small business customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial up and high speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular® Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers online and directory advertising through BellSouth® RealPages.com® and The Real Yellow Pages®.
ABOUT THE MARCH OF DIMES
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies.
*Footnotes:
· Preterm refers to births occurring before the 37th week of pregnancy.
· Very preterm is less than 32 weeks.
Sources:
· National Center for Health Statistics, final natality data.
· Agency for Heathcare Research and Quality, National Inpatient Sample, 2001.
For additional perinatal statistics visit: http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/or www.marchofdimes.com/georgia
Also, please visit www.clicktosavebabies.org.
Media Contact: Brittney Gray, Director of Communications, 404-350-9800 x 224 or bgray@marchofdimes.com
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