ATLANTA, GA – March 1, 2006: The March of Dimes Georgia Chapter is receiving a $100,000 grant from the Benjamin F. Brady Foundation, which funds causes in North Georgia that relate to education, health care, children and religious activities.  Half of the grant funds will go to the WellStar Foundation and will be designated for the refurbishment of WellStar Kennestone Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Suite, and the purchase of a new incubator for the hospital’s smallest patients.  The March of Dimes will apply all remaining funds to its current Prematurity Campaign, which aims to reduce the rate of premature births and raise awareness of the growing numbers of babies born preterm.

“Premature birth is a serious, common and costly problem,” says Ronald Pilcher, Brady Foundation Representative. “The Benjamin F. Brady Foundation is proud to assist the March of Dimes and WellStar Kennestone Hospital with their efforts to alleviate this silent crisis.”

Every week in Georgia, 342 babies arrive too soon. Premature birth can happen to any pregnant woman, and no one knows why. Parents of premature babies are unexpectedly thrust into an unknown world of tubes, machines, doctors and specialists speaking an unfamiliar language.  Often, the most difficult time is when they are finally released from the hospital to take their baby home.  Until now they have had a host of physicians and nurses caring for their child, but soon they will be on their own. 

WellStar Kennestone Hospital Family Suites offer parents a small step before being given total responsibility to care for their baby.  Parents can check into these rooms, located in the same suite as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, for up to 48 hours.  While in these rooms, the parents provide all the care for the baby with the professionals only seconds away if they find themselves overwhelmed.  The time in the Family Suites gives parents the confidence they need to take the baby home. The Brady Foundation Grant will fund the refurbishing of these much-needed suites and replace the time-worn furniture and furnishings. “This ongoing partnership with the WellStar Foundation, the not for profit WellStar Health System’s fundraising arm, is a wonderful example of the March of Dimes’ commitment to premature infants in our region”, says Sandy White, WellStar Foundation’s Executive Director.

The grant also will fund the purchase of a state-of-the-art incubator with several unique features that provide a superior developmental environment for the tiniest patients.  The design provides a stable thermal environment for the infant and improved access for the clinician.  It features an air curtain that protects the infant from heat loss, which minimizes the environmental impact on the infant during touch times.  The motor and alarms are quiet, so the infant experiences a lower level of noise and his hearing is protected.

“In 2005 we admitted over 110 patients weighing less than 3 pounds, and we have a great need to add more beds to our unit equipment,” says White.  “Thanks to the generosity of the Benjamin F. Brady Foundation and the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter, we will now be able to have another bed for these small patients.”

The March of Dimes is leading the campaign to reduce premature birth by supporting research and by educating the public and health care providers.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventingbirth 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

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