ATLANTA, GA — October 09, 2006—Currently in the state of Georgia, 13.1% of all live births are premature, which is higher than the national average. Each year, thousands of children develop health problems because of their early births and prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month. With the rate of premature births rising 30% in the last 20 years and nearly one out of every eight babies born affected, premature birth is a serious, common and costly problem.

In an effort to raise awareness of this growing problem, the March of Dimes annual Prematurity Awareness Month is recognized throughout Georgia in November.  With Georgia having one of the highest premature birth rates in the country with 342 babies born prematurely each week, the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter takes part by putting together activities and local events to raise awareness. 

2006 Georgia Prematurity Awareness Activities

• BellSouth Center in Downtown Atlanta will be lit in pink and blue.
• Parents Partnered for Preemies will host a reunion for Northside NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) families on October 21 from 10am-12pm in the Atrium at Northside Hospital.  One of the activities will be a craft table where the families can make a thank you card for staff, which will be distributed to staff the week of November 13th.
• March of Dimes Georgia Chapter office will host a Prematurity Summit for business leaders on November 8 from 7:30-9:00am at the Four Seasons to discuss the impact of premature birth on business and the related costs.
• WellStar Kennestone Hospital will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sunday, November 12 at 3pm for its recently refurbished NICU family suite and new state of the art incubator. (Project Made Possible by Grant from Benjamin F. Brady Foundation)
• Clear Channel Radio Stations 94.9 Lite FM, Viva 105.7, 105.3 The Buzz, and 96 Rock will be hosting awareness campaigns during the month of November, requesting donations from listeners to support the March of Dimes research efforts.
• Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR), the worldwide leader in self-service coin-counting, now accepts donations on behalf of the March of Dimes through a feature available on most of its national network of more than 250 machines at participating supermarkets in Georgia. After designating the March of Dimes as their beneficiary, individuals can simply pour their loose change into the machine, which automatically counts the coins and prints a tax-deductible receipt for the amount of the donation.

The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign is a multimillion-dollar research, awareness and education campaign to help families have healthier babies. The campaign includes: funding research, educating women, providing support to families affected by prematurity, 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.

In November, visit marchofdimes.com/pad and find out what you can do for pink and blue to help prevent premature birth. You can send a message of hope for premature babies by wearing pink and blue, raising awareness with wristbands, car magnets and ribbons, sending e-mails and letters, and supporting research.

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, 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. www.marchofdimes.com/georgia

Media Contact:   Brittney Gray, Director of Communications,404-350-9800 ext. 224 or bgray@marchofdimes.com