I. ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN

• Federal and state initiatives to expand newborn screening as well as treatment.

• Federal and state policies regarding health coverage including Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), other publicly supported coverage, as well as private insurance to protect and improve access to and quality of health care.

• Standards of care for mothers and children enrolled in health plans.

• Standards to protect patient privacy and prohibit genetic discrimination.

• Federal and state initiatives to improve maternal and child health care.

• Initiatives to improve the health of preterm and low birthweight infants and children living with birth defects.

II.      RESEARCH TO PREVENT PREMATURITY, BIRTH DEFECTS AND INFANT MORTALITY

• Birth defects surveillance, research, prevention and treatment programs at the state, federal, and international level. 

• Research funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other Federal agencies to increase knowledge relating to the prevention of birth defects, prematurity and infant mortality.

III.     PREVENTION AND TREATMENT PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE MATERNAL, INFANT, AND CHILD HEALTH

• Smoking, alcohol and substance abuse prevention and cessation initiatives affecting women of childbearing age and children.

• Programs to improve prematurity risk detection and prevent preterm births.
  
• Food and nutrition education programs such as WIC - Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children.
  
• Programs to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health care.
  
• Programs to immunize infants and children, research to develop new vaccines, and efforts to eradicate polio worldwide.
  
• Programs to collect data on and reduce exposure to environmental and reproductive hazards associated with birth defects.

IV. INSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS FOR TAX-EXEMPT  ORGANIZATIONS

• Federal and state laws and regulations related to tax-exempt organizations

• Postal reform and rate changes.
  
• Tax treatment of charitable contributions.

Birth Defects Monitoring Program

• Monitors the prevalence of birth defects
• Provides a database for research into the cause of birth defects
• Public and profession educational and prevention information.
• One of eight federally funded regional research centers designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a “Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention.

Issue

• Federal research funds can no longer be used for data collection purposes
• If state funding is not appropriated for the Program by Spring 2007 DPH will lose its ability to not only provide state birth defects surveillance and intervention services
• MA will lose its Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention, and approximately $900,000 in annual research funding from CDC and other sources.

MOD Public Affairs Action Steps

• House budget amendment filed by Rep. Peisch.
• Senate budget amendment filed by Senator Cynthia Creem
• Letters and calls by MOD Board and Volunteers.

MOD Public Affairs Success

• Budget was signed by the Governor, and it contains the $450,000 in funding for the BDMP Program.  It also contains language continuing the MassHealth smoking cessation benefit that March of Dimes advocated for in FY06

Public Affairs Consultants

The Suffolk Group
One Bowdoin Square
Boston, MA 02114
http://www.thesuffolkgroup.com/