WHO WILL YOU BE WALKING FOR?
MARCH OF DIMES WALKAMERICA

Kansas City, Mo., – March of Dimes WalkAmerica 2005 is the first and best-loved charity walk in Kansas City.   WalkAmerica will take place on Saturday, May 14th at Shawnee Mission Park.  Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. followed by the walk at 9:00 a.m. 

The March of Dimes biggest fundraiser and the nation’s first walking event, WalkAmerica, takes place in 1,400 communities across the country. Now in its 34th year in Kansas City, the March of Dimes expects approximately 4,000 local participants and representation from more than 300 Kansas City companies.

Prior to the event, participants secure donations for walking a three-mile challenge route. Approximately nine million others make contributions to support the cause nationwide. Since its beginning, WalkAmerica has raised more than $1 billion toward its fight against birth defects and infant mortality.  To register for WalkAmerica visit www.walkamerica.org or call 816.561.0175. 

Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many lifelong disabilities. It happens to one out of eight babies in the U. S. and it takes a tremendous toll on families and costs society billions.  On average, hospital charges for newborns without complications run $1,300, while those for hospital stays for infants with a principal diagnosis of prematurity, average a startling $75,000.  In 2001, hospital charges for all infants totaled $29.3 billion.  Nearly half of that - $13.6 billion – was for babies with any diagnosis of prematurity.  That means that nearly 50 percent of the total charges for infant hospital stays in 2001 were for babies who were born too soon or too small.

Since premature babies can be born with a range of health problems that necessitate serious medical intervention, they may spend significantly longer time in the hospital than full term babies.  Consider these statistics on the average length of infant hospital stays: 

• 1.9 days for uncomplicated newborns
• 12.9 days for infants with any diagnosis of prematurity
• 24.7 days for infants with a principal diagnosis of prematurity

The costs of prematurity often don’t stop when babies leave the hospital.  About 25 percent of the youngest and smallest babies who “graduate” from NICU care live with long-term health problems, including cerebral palsy, blindness and other chronic conditions.  Who pays the bill?  You do.  All health care payers –public and private –share the cost of caring for premature babies.  Employers and other private health plans are responsible for half the total hospital bill for prematurity, and the federal/state Medicaid program also bears a large share of the cost.

The March of Dimes is determined to find answers.  Premature birth can happen without warning and for no known reason.  Until we have more answers, anyone’s baby could be next.  To fight this devastating problem, the March of Dimes has launched a $75 million, five-year, national campaign with the goal of reducing the occurrence of premature birth by 15 percent by 2007.  The campaign aims: to raise public awareness of the seriousness of the problem; to educate women about the signs of premature labor; what to do if they have them, and what options are available to manage early labor; and to fund vital research into the causes of prematurity and how it can be stopped.
With a new premature baby arriving nearly every minute, the answers can’t come soon enough.

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. More information is available on the March of Dimes web site www.marchofdimes.com.