(CINCINNATI, April 20) - Premature birth and birth defects cause death and disability, devastates parents, and costs billions of dollars a year.  Direct health care costs to employers for a premature baby average $41,610 - 15 times higher than the average cost of $2,830 for a healthy, full-term delivery. In response, Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A. (WWR) announced today they have implemented Healthy Babies Healthy Business ®, the March of Dimes free intranet-based pregnancy and newborn health information program.   Healthy Babies Healthy Business (HBHB) enables companies to provide their employees with accurate, up-to-date information on pregnancy and newborn health issues from a respected authority in the field.
     On behalf of their ten offices and more than 1,000 employees, WWR is proud to partner with the March of Dimes.  For six years, WWR has been a supporter of the March of Dimes. In a six-year span, the firm and its employees have raised over $120,000.00. WWR’s employees collect donations and compete in other fundraising activities to raise money for the March of Dimes each year. 
While supporting the March of Dimes, WWR’s employees not only have a lot of fun, but they give their time, talent and money in order to help save babies and raise public awareness of the problems associated with premature births. Supporting this charity promotes firm-wide volunteerism, and brings their employees together for more than just routine work. It’s a positive experience all-around!  The HBHB is one way that the March of Dimes gives back and promotes awareness.
     On average, premature babies covered by employer plans spend 16.8 days in the hospital during the 12 months following birth, compared to 2.3 days for full-term babies.  In addition, premature babies make an average of nine visits to the doctor’s office during the first year of life, compared to six visits for healthy, full-term babies.  All of this means time away from work for the parents.  Mothers of premature babies spend more time on short-term disability (average of 29.1 days) over the six months following delivery than mothers of full-term babies (average of 18.9 days).
     The March of Dimes is leading the fight to defeat prematurity with a multiyear, multimillion-dollar campaign to help the nation reduce the rate of premature birth from 12.1 percent to the Healthy People 2010 objective of no more than 7.6 percent.  By funding vital research into ways to prevent and treat premature birth, educating women about risk reduction including the signs of preterm labor, assisting health professionals in evaluating patient risks, and expanding access to health care, we’re attacking the problem from all vantage points.
     The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies, and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com/ohio or the Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.  For information on Healthy Babies Healthy Business, visit www.marchofdimes.com/hbhb.  To join WalkAmerica, visit www.walkamerica.org
Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A., celebrating over 75 years of experience, provides comprehensive collection and litigation services to creditors throughout the nation including major banks & financial institutions, mortgage & lending companies, commercial creditors, government entities, insurance companies, credit unions, service organizations, medical and utility companies.  Practice areas include bankruptcy, collection services, foreclosure/evictions/REO, legal action recovery, litigation & defense, probate, subrogation and corporate & financial services.  The firm has offices in Brooklyn Heights (OH), Burlington (NJ), Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Grove City (OH), Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.