(PITTSBURGH, PA, APRIL 23, 2007)—On April 19, the March of Dimes launched its Parent Information Station at Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and attended by representatives from Magee-Womens Hospital, the March of Dimes, and families who have experienced the NICU first hand.
Preparing for a new baby is a time of great excitement. Families don’t expect anything to go wrong, but about 1 in 10 newborns arrive in a NICU because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. The experience can be overwhelming for families. The March of Dimes Parent Information Station aims to make the journey through newborn intensive care smoother and less traumatic for families.
“It is estimated that 10 percent of all newborns require some level of intensive care,” said Joe Bundick, Pennsylvania State Director for the March of Dimes. “The March of Dimes Parent Information Station project is an important component of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, a nationwide effort to address the growing problem of premature birth. It’s the leading cause of newborn death, a major cause of serious health problems and costs society billions of dollars every year. The March of Dimes is also funding research to find the causes of premature birth.”
The March of Dimes Parent Information Station uses a computer with controlled Internet access and March of Dimes print materials to provide information and support to families with babies being cared for in a neonatal intensive care unit. Family members can access information when it is most convenient for them. They can use the station to access www.marchofdimes.com to obtain additional information about topics that have come up during their NICU visit. They can participate in online sharing with other NICU families and find support from other families who have had similar experiences at www.shareyourstory.org. The March of Dimes Parent Information Station is a pilot program for the March of Dimes with three to five sites planned nationwide. The Magee-Womens Hospital location is the second station to be launched, with the first located at Wellspan Health’s York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania.
The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For more information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org for Spanish.
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