County:  Anne Arundel    
Organization: Anne Arundel Medical Center
Project:  Comenzando Bien – Healthy Beginnings in Anne Arundel County
Amount Requested: $25,000    Amount Funded: $25,000
Project Summary:
This project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of increasing access to and quality of health care for women and infants. It proposes to offer the March of Dimes program, Comenzando Bien, a prenatal health education curriculum, to underserved, uninsured, and often undocumented expectant Latina women who reside in the county. In collaboration with the Anne Arundel County Health Department, the program will be offered in two formats at three locations in the county. The goal is to reach 300 pregnant Latina women. During this second year of the program, the focus will be on expansion of the “promotora” role – selecting a representative who is trusted by her community and training her to assume the role of primary translator and Comenzando Bien childbirth educator. A continuing education conference for maternal and child health advocates is also planned.

County:  Anne Arundel County
Organization: Restoration Community Development Corporation
Project:  It’s Your Life – Take Charge of It!
Amount Requested: $25,000    Amount Funded: $17,000

Project Summary:
This project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of enhancing preconception/interconception education and support services for high-risk women. It proposes to conduct a series of three educational events targeting 100 African American women of reproductive age. One event will deliver preconception /interconception health messages, one will deliver self-esteem, sexual health and preconception messages targeting teens and their mothers and the third will deliver interconception health messages to young African American mothers. The project will attempt to address the disparities in birth outcomes in the county and will provide outreach to the faith-based communities. It is being offered in partnership with the Anne Arundel County Health Department.

County:  Baltimore City
Organization: Baltimore Healthcare Access, Inc.
Project:  Smoke-free Baby and Me
Amount Requested: $22,930    Amount Funded: $22,930

Project Summary:
This project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of increasing smoking cessation services to pregnant women who smoke. The program will identify 400-500 pregnant smokers and provide them with self-help cessation materials along with incentive items for pledging to be smoke-free. In addition, it will refer pregnant smokers to the Maryland Quit Line and to providers who have completed course work on the 5 “A’s” smoking cessation counseling approach. Follow-up phone calls will be made to pregnant smokers to determine if they used available materials and services. The program is being offered in partnership with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Maryland Quit Line.

County:  Baltimore City
Organization: University of Maryland Medical Systems
Project:  The Stork’s Nest
Amount Requested: $20,000    Amount Funded: $20,000

Project Summary:
This project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of enhancing education and support services for high-risk pregnant women. To accomplish its goal of reducing infant mortality, this program provides eight, two-hour prenatal health education classes that cycle throughout the year. Participants earn points for participating in class, attending and keeping prenatal care and postnatal appointments, and breastfeeding. Points are redeemable for maternity and baby care products at the Stork’s Nest. The program targets African American women in West Baltimore, many of whom are at high-risk of preterm birth due to alcohol and drug use, hypertension, infections, age (30% of participants are teens), lack of prenatal care, etc… Stork’s Nest participants are provided support during their pregnancy and for one year after delivery. The Nest has reached 1600 women in the past six years; the goal is to reach 300 women in 2007.

County:  Montgomery
Organization: Holy Cross Hospital
Project:  Prenatal Class for Teens
Amount Requested: $13,500    Amount Funded: $13,500

Project Summary:
This project will provide a prenatal education course for pregnant teens in Holy Cross Hospital’s core service area. It combines health education, skills development, and parenting support. A certified childbirth educator trained as a Teen Pregnancy Specialist and a bilingual perinatal ethnic health educator will teach this course, which will address the unique needs of the pregnant teen. It will focus on the physiologic aspects and social implications of teenage pregnancy. It will be a teen-friendly course that will encourage partner participation. The project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of enhancing education and support services for high-risk pregnant women to reduce disparities in birth outcomes. Target audience: African Americans, Hispanics and Latinas.

County:  Queen Anne’s
Organization: Queen Anne’s County Health Department
Project:  Mom Movers PLUS
Amount Requested: $25,000    Amount Funded: $22,391

Project Summary:
Mom Movers PLUS aims to provide transportation for pregnant women and Moms to attend doctor’s visits, WIC appointments, register for MCHP, make an initial visit to a Family Support Center and obtain laboratory tests ordered by a physician. Mothers are given pregnancy-related and newborn care information by a specially-trained “mentor driver” while en route to their destination. The project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of increasing participation in state or local MCH programs. Target audience: 40-50 Hispanics, African Americans and Caucasians; primarily undocumented women and foreign-born women with less than five years residency in the US, who are not eligible for MCHP and have no private insurance. This grant is for second-year funding.

Other:
Organization: SIDS Mid Atlantic
Project:  Cribs for Kids
Amount Requested:  $12,000   Amount Funded: $5,179

Project Summary:
This project addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of increasing education related to reducing the risk of SIDS in high-risk communities. It proposes to prevent infant deaths from SIDS or accidental suffocation due to unsafe sleeping practices in African American and Latino families. It involves the distribution of portable cribs to needy families through health and social service agencies in Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. Agency personnel will identify needy families and contact SIDS Mid-Atlantic for a crib. The crib will be shipped directly to the agency, and agency personnel will deliver the crib and educate the family on safe-sleeping practices. Agency personnel will follow-up with the families to determine how each of the babies is doing.

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Community Awards (Awards of $3,000 or less)

County:  Baltimore City
Organization: Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Systems
Project:  The Stork’s Nest
Amount Requested: $3,000     Amount Funded: $3,000

Project Summary:
The Stork’s Nest addresses the March of Dimes funding priority of enhancing education and support services for high-risk pregnant women. The purpose of the Nest is to reduce the incidence of low birth weight and infant deaths by encouraging underserved, low-income women to keep their prenatal and infant doctor appointments. For each scheduled appointment that is kept, the mother-to-be receives points that can be redeemed at the Nest. The Nest is stocked with baby care and maternity products that are donated by businesses, churches, civic groups, hospital employees, children’s stores, etc… Points can also be earned for infant immunizations. Moms can visit the Nest until their child is one year of age. In 2005, this program reached 691 moms/babies. In the coming year, 700 African American and Latina women will be targeted.

County:  Baltimore City
Organization: Baltimore City Health Department
Project:  Nicotine Replacement Therapy Initiative
Amount Requested: $3,000     Amount Funded: $3,000

Project Summary:
This project involves the distribution of nicotine replacement therapy (patches) to uninsured smokers, exclusively women of childbearing age, in coordination with an extensive outreach campaign being launched in Baltimore City in January, 2007. The campaign will target the working poor and will encourage smokers to use the Maryland Quit Line, a telephone counseling program involving a series of four phone calls. Women who have completed two of the four steps in the Maryland Quit Line counseling program will be eligible to receive the patches.

County:  Carroll County
Organization: Carroll County Health Department
Project:  Maryland’s Largest Baby Shower
Amount Requested: $1,500     Amount Funded: $1,000

Project Summary:
This program is held annually in Westminster and is a collaborative effort between the health department, hospital, public library, Department of Human Resources/Child Care Administration, and the Human Services Program/Family Center. The program includes guest speakers, educational displays and packets, giveaways, and door prizes. Target audience: 200 pregnant women and their partners.

County:  Cecil County
Organization: Cecil County Health Department
Project:  Keeping Mothers and Babies Safe Campaign
Amount Requested: $3,000     Amount Funded: $3,000

Project Summary:
This project is targeted for completion by June 30, 2007. It involves educating women in the WIC program and through Healthy Start, Union Hospital, the Cecil County Pregnancy Center, and the Cecil County Alcohol and Drug Center, about the signs and symptoms of preterm labor and prematurity prevention. A variety of educational interventions and March of Dimes print materials will be used along with incentives to encourage participation. The program intends to reach a total of 280 potentially high-risk women.

County:  Frederick County
Organization: Mission of Mercy
Project:  Prenatal Care Program
Amount Requested: $3,000     Amount Funded: $3,000

Project Summary:
This project is designed to increase access to and quality of health care for women and infants. The Mission of Mercy’s Prenatal Care Program provides pregnant women with free visits with a physician and/or Certified Nurse Midwife on a regular basis, an ongoing supply of daily multivitamins, folic acid, prescription medications, lab and diagnostic imaging services, prenatal blood and lab work, and a full set of medical records to present to the ER at the onset of labor. This award will enable the program to reach 15 prenatal patients, many of whom are of Hispanic origin. (Note: Medical personnel volunteer their time to this program. March of Dimes funds are not used to pay for their services.)

County:  Talbot County
Organization: Mid Shore Perinatal Advisory Council
Project:  Greatest Show on Birth
Amount Requested: $3,000     Amount Funded: $1,000

Project Summary:
This is an annual educational event, similar to Maryland’s Largest Shower, that targets families who are expecting or have infants and toddlers. It includes a keynote address and a series of presentations by local health care providers on such topics as the signs and symptoms of preterm labor, the importance of performing kick counts and understanding safe sleeping practices. A variety of community service agencies are on-hand to exhibit at the event. Each family is provided with a gift bag that includes assorted pregnancy and childcare-related information. The goal is to reach 200 Hispanic and African American families with the 2007 program.

County:  Washington
Organization: Antietam Healthcare Foundation (for Washington County Hospital)
Project:  Education Program for Healthcare Providers Related to SIDS
Amount Requested: $3,000     Amount Funded: $3,000
           (Pangborn Funds)

Project Summary:
Using the AAP guidelines, health care providers will be educated on safe sleeping practices and SIDS prevention. Presentations will also be conducted to parish nurses and local childcare providers. A second component of the program involves the education of new parents and care givers on safe sleep practices. Educational materials will be developed and disseminated to new parents through community agencies, organizations and child care providers. The need for this program was identified through data collected by the local FIMR board.