Across the country, March of Dimes chapters are responding to the intense and increasing needs of mothers and babies displaced by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama, and increasing numbers of other states offering shelter to the hurricane victims.

The March of Dimes is delivering critical health information to pregnant women and to families with infants. This information can be found here. Chapters in areas housing evacuees are distributing and publicizing these important health messages for pregnant women and mothers. 

Because major crises like Hurricane Katrina generally lead to an increase in premature births, and increased demand for neonatal intensive care services, the March of Dimes is preparing to help hospitals support families who have premature babies. Families who have had a baby cared for in a NICU before are joining together with the March of Dimes to meet some special needs. Through our online community http://www.shareyourstory.org/ these special volunteers are creating baskets of supplies just for the families of babies in NICUs in Louisiana and Mississippi.

With generous donations from our corporate partners , we have begun to distribute desperately needed newborn clothes, diapers and formula to shelters, churches, and hospitals where mothers and babies are being housed. The need continues to be great and to grow beyond the states most affected as families are relocated outside Louisiana and Mississippi, and often relocated again.

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In Louisiana, where several hundred thousand have evacuated to Baton Rouge and tens of thousands more are in their homes throughout the state without basic services, the March of Dimes is working hard to meet specific needs of pregnant women, mothers and babies, and families of babies in intensive care.

Over the holiday weekend, the March of Dimes volunteers and staff worked with local and state authorities to deliver formula donated by Mead Johnson to babies in the New Orleans convention center and the airport triage area, getting nutrition to infants in great need, some of whom had not had formula in several days.

The Louisiana Chapter is providing immediate help to families of babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Baton Rouge Woman’s Hospital and other hospitals in the city. Through its NICU Family Support program, March of Dimes staff and volunteers are distributing supplies for premature infants and support and information to their families. Many very sick or premature babies were airlifted or transported from New Orleans to the NICU at Baton Rouge Women’s Hospital.

In Mississippi, thousands of families are resettling for some time into other parts of the state. In Jackson, hospitals are facing additional births, including premature births, and have already received babies for special care in NICUs. In addition, the March of Dimes Mississippi Chapter is distributing newborn and maternity clothing, formula, diapers and wipes to distribute to shelters, hotels, places of worship and other temporary housing areas.

The March of Dimes Texas Chapter is preparing to meet the needs of mothers and babies among 250,000 evacuees who’ve come into the state. The immediate needs are for infant and newborn clothing, diapers and wipes, as well as maternity clothing which is not always available through other donations.

These are examples of the services of just three of our chapters…to find out what your chapter is doing and how you can help, click here. 

To help support all of the March of Dimes efforts to help mothers and babies affected by Hurrcane Katrina, DONATE NOW.