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March of Dimes and AIHA Partner for Perinatal Health
WASHINGTON, DC, APRIL 11, 2002—A new project aimed at decreasing the rate of birth defects and improving infant, child, and maternal health in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the New Independent States (NIS) was announced today by the March of Dimes and the American International Health Alliance (AIHA).
This new project—called the Mission Alliance to Improve Perinatal Health Education in Eastern Europe—seeks to improve health through an education and training program targeted not only at healthcare practitioners, but also at men and women of reproductive age throughout these regions.
“As they struggle to make the transition to market economies, the nations of the NIS/CEE are finding it more and more difficult to meet the healthcare needs of their populations,” said Bernice Bennett, senior program officer at AIHA. “This is all too apparent in the realms of infant, child, and maternal health. Neonatal mortality rates are, on average, three times higher in these regions than in the United States, and maternal mortality is four times as high.”
Noting that birth defects and birth complications also exact a heavy toll, Bennett continued, “In Ukraine, for example, recent government statistics indicate that some 30 percent of all children are born with physical or mental defects, 70 percent of women experience difficulties during childbirth, and 24 women in 100,000 die during delivery. Given these numbers, it is vital that we do all we can to prevent them whenever possible.
”Building on the unique strengths of each organization, this three-year project is to be implemented in two phases. Pilot sites will be selected from AIHA’s extensive network of partnership institutions in the NIS/CEE, with a long-term goal of replicating the program at other facilities throughout the region. Teaching materials will be drawn from a wealth of March of Dimes educational materials geared toward audiences ranging from physicians and other healthcare providers to community leaders and the general public.
AIHA—a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, working under cooperative agreements with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Energy—establishes and manages partnerships between healthcare institutions in the United States and their counterparts throughout the NIS and Central and Eastern Europe. With financing provided by the United States government, these partnerships strive to develop long-term, sustainable healthcare solutions tailored to the needs of individual communities.
Areas of focus for AIHA partnerships include community-based primary healthcare, women’s health, emergency medicine, infection control, neonatal resuscitation, and health management education, among other things. For more information on AIHA, visit: http://www.aiha.com.
An important focus of March of Dimes activities in the United States over the past 20 years—and internationally over the past decade—has been professional education on perinatal health. The Foundation has developed and implemented a broad range of educational materials for both clinicians and the general public, and uses an on-going evaluation process to update these materials. The March of Dimes has also partnered with other U.S.-based and international organizations to develop and evaluate culturally appropriate perinatal education materials for specific demographic groups in a variety of settings. Current educational materials include a genetics curriculum for primary healthcare providers, prenatal health curricula such as nursing modules, information sheets, and patient education materials directed to both high- and low-literacy populations. These materials have proven successful in promoting healthy birth outcomes in a variety of countries and settings.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com, its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org, or call 1-888-MODIMES.
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