Indiana programs

• We’re improving the health of babies in our state.
• Our programs support moms-to-be and professionals.
• We offer comfort to families with a newborn in intensive care.

Premature birth is common, serious and costly. 1 in 7 Indiana babies is born preterm, over 11,000 each year. Many of these babies are born sick and struggling to survive. Some of these babies lose that fight to survive.
 
March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign in Indiana is focused on raising awareness of the problem of prematurity, how it may be prevented, and funding research and community programs to find out why it happens and how it can be stopped.

Premature birth can happen without warning and for no known reason. A woman can do everything “right” and still have a premature baby. In fact, in most of the cases of prematurity there is no identifiable cause.

To fight this problem, March of Dimes Indiana Chapter funds research and community programs to reduce the rate of prematurity, including:

• Premature birth report card and Prematurity Awareness Month – Each November March of Dimes hosts events, conducts awareness campaigns and observances and educational opportunities to make the public aware of the problem and what they can do to help prevent prematurity. A major component is the Premature Birth Report card, issued each November, which gives the state a letter grade for its progress in reducing prematurity.

• 39 Week Public Health Education – One of the contributing factors to the 30-percent rise in premature birth over the last decade has been the rise in elective inductions and C-sections. March of Dimes funds educational programs in Indiana helping women and families understand the importance of letting labor begin on its own and works with doctors and health professionals to advise women that healthy babies are worth the wait.  

• Scientific research conducted at Universities and Hospitals – March of Dimes supports the work of some of the brightest scientific minds. Some current and past recipients of March of Dimes research grant funding include scientists at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis and Bloomington and at Purdue University in West Lafayette.