ARLINGTON, Va. — For the second consecutive year, the Commonwealth of Virginia earned a “D” on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card but it showed improvement on criteria that can help give all babies a healthy start in life.
The March of Dimes released its second Premature Birth Report Card today, the seventh annual Prematurity Awareness Day®, when the March of Dimes focuses the nation’s attention on the growing problem of premature birth (birth before 37 weeks of pregnancy). Also for the second consecutive year, the United States earned only a “D” on the Report Card, demonstrating that more than a half million of the nation’s newborns didn’t get the healthy start they deserved. As in 2008, no state earned an “A” and only Vermont received a “B.”
“Here in Virginia, we are proud of our hard work in improving the number of insured pregnant women and reducing the number of babies born in the late preterm period (weeks 34 to 36 of pregnancy),” said Robin Baker, M.D., a neonatologist with Fairfax Neonatal Associates and a local March of Dimes board member. “We have a long way to go before all babies in America get a healthy start in life and we are committed to working with state health officials, hospitals and health care providers to continue to fight for preemies.”
Criteria that affect preterm birth improved in the Commonwealth. Virginia earned a star for lowering its late preterm birth rate. “We hope that it will be the start of a decline in our preterm birth rate,” said Dr. Baker.
In Virginia, the rate of late preterm births is 8.6 percent. The rate of women smoking is 18.9 percent and the rate of uninsured women is 17.9 percent.
In the U.S., more than 540,000 babies are born too soon each year. Preterm birth is a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26 billion annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. It is the leading cause of newborn death and babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifetime health challenges such as breathing problems, mental retardation and others. A March of Dimes report released in October found that 13 million babies worldwide were born preterm and more than one million die each year.
Quality improvement programs are vital to lowering preterm birth rates, according to the March of Dimes.
The March of Dimes in Virginia has been leading the way with programs that have been shown to improve pregnancy outcomes such as Centering Pregnancy™. In the Commonwealth, infant mortality decreased by one percent in 2008. The March of Dimes was cited by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as one of the agencies helping to decrease the rate through its programs.
Premature birth can happen to anyone. To learn more about premature birth and how to get involved with March of Dimes efforts, please visit marchofdimes.com/fightforpreemies.
The March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org
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