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CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to Present $50,000 Check to March of Dimes during Washington Mystics Game
03-Sep-09 |
Funds will support Mama & Baby Bus, which provides free prenatal/dental care in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 – CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield will present a check for $50,000 to the March of Dimes Maryland-National Capital Area Chapter in support of the March of Dimes Mama & Baby Bus during Thursday’s Washington Mystics game.
The Mama & Baby Bus provides free prenatal and dental care to pregnant women in wards 1, 2, 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C. During the 2009 WNBA regular season, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is donating $100 for the mobile unit for every three-point basket made by the Mystics.
The bus will be parked outside Verizon Center (at 6th and F streets) on game day between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. and will be open to the public. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield officials will visit the bus at 6:15 p.m. The Mystics game against the Seattle Storm begins at 7 p.m.; the check presentation will be made at the end of the first quarter.
“We are proud of the Mystics as they make their push toward the playoffs,” said Maria Harris Tildon, CareFirst Senior Vice president of Public Policy and Community Affairs. “Maternal and child health is a leading indicator of a community's overall health. This grant will directly help provide care for mothers in the city. We look forward to continuing our support for organizations such as the March of Dimes that strive to improve maternal and child health at the local level.”
“The March of Dimes is very grateful to CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield for their generous grant to support the activities on the Mama & Baby Bus,” said Shannon Gilbert, chapter director of the March of Dimes. “Since 2000, the bus has been instrumental in increasing the number of women who receive prenatal care annually. These funds will allow us to continue providing support services such as prenatal dental, STD screenings, follow-up referrals and pregnancy testing right at the curb.”
The March of Dimes Mama & Baby Bus parks at various locations every week (the monthly schedule can be found at http://www.marchofdimes.com/marylandmetrodc/31884_33705.asp). The first and only prenatal/dental mobile unit in the city, the 30-foot bus is staffed by health care professionals and educators who ride the unit to underserved areas of the city. The bus operates with a grant from the March of Dimes Maryland-National Capital Area Chapter in partnership with Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc.
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield officials participating in the check presentation include Carla Diggs Smith, Community Affairs Manager, and Peggy Harewood, Clinical Quality Specialist. Accepting on behalf of the March of Dimes will be Gilbert and Chapter Board Chair Doug Brown. Also attending will be Katelyn Hall of Leesburg, Va., the 2009 March of Dimes national ambassador child.
For information on preterm and low birthweight births in Washington, D.C., please visit http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/pdflib/195/11.pdf.
The March of Dimes is the leading national nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
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