(SAVANNAH, GA, January 30, 2006)—The March of Dimes today announced that it has named Memorial Health University Medical Center as one of only 28 sites in the nation to implement NICU Family Support®.  March of Dimes NICU Family Support provides information and comfort to families of premature and other critically ill newborns being cared for in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“Preparing for a new baby is a time of great excitement,” said William R. Doyle, Chair of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign for the Georgia chapter. “Families don’t expect anything to go wrong, but each year approximately 1 in 8 newborns wind up in a NICU because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. The experience can be overwhelming for families.  NICU Family Support aims to make the journey through newborn intensive care smoother and less traumatic for families.”

The project is an important component of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, a multi year effort to address the growing problem of premature birth, which is the leading cause of newborn death in America. The causes of nearly half of all premature births are unknown, leaving all families at risk.

Nationally, March of Dimes NICU Family Support receives multi-year funding from Pediatrix Medical Group and MedImmune, Inc.  Additional support is provided by Dey, L.P. In Savannah financial support is also being provided by Memorial Health University Medical Center.

In 2003 (the last year for which numbers are available), 17,762 were born premature in Georgia. In 2005, 680 newborns stayed in the Memorial Health University Media Center NICU, some for hours and some for months.

“The March of Dimes selected Memorial Health University Medical Center as its partner for NICU Family Support because of its reputation for excellence and the quality care it provides to babies,” Doyle said. “Memorial Health University Medical Center does incredible work every day to care for sick babies and their families. We want to support their efforts.”

“We are excited to have been chosen as a March of Dimes NICU Family Support site and are looking forward to this collaborative effort to support parents throughout their stay with us,” says Jean Wright, M.D., Executive Director of Children’s Services at Memorial Health University Medical Center.  “This is a wonderful opportunity to work with graduate NICU parents and staff to develop programs specific to the needs of our families.”

Incorporating NICU families into every level of the project, March of Dimes NICU Family Support addresses the needs of families throughout the hospitalization, during the transition home, and in the event of a newborn death.  NICU Family Support also includes a professional development component to provide hospital NICU staff with support and educational opportunities.  The project will be led by a March of Dimes staff person who has professional NICU experience.  An advisory committee made up of graduate NICU parents and NICU professionals will be involved in selecting activities and providing direct services to current NICU families.  Each NICU family will receive a March of Dimes Parent Care Kit including informational books and materials to chart their baby’s milestones.       

Memorial Health is a two-state healthcare organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship Memorial Health University Medical Center, a 530-bed tertiary medical center; CareOne, its two-state home care division; Memorial Health University Physicians, the area's largest group practice; a major medical education program; business and industry services; and NurseOne, a 24-hour call center. Memorial Health is the only healthcare system in the country to be named a Distinguished Hospital by J.D. Power and Associates and a “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune Magazine. Visit the Memorial Health Web site at http://www.memorialhealth.com/.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com/georgia or its Spanish Web site at http://www.nacersano.org/.

Media Contact for March of Dimes – Brittney Gray, 404-350-9800 ext. 224 or bgray@marchofdimes.com

Media Contact for Memorial Health University Medical Center – Michael Notrica, 912-350-6858 or NotriMi1@memorialhealth.com

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