South Carolina programs

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

We help moms to get the information and care they need before, during and after pregnancy. If something goes wrong, we provide information and comfort to families in the NICU. Learn more about a few of our community programs below.

NICU Family Support

When a baby is born too soon or very sick and starts life in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU), the March of Dimes is there for the family. One in every 10 babies born in the United States is admitted to a NICU. Some babies spend just a couple of days, others many long months. Having a baby hospitalized in a NICU can be frightening, confusing and overwhelming. NICU Family Support offers information and comfort. We enhance family-centered care practices in partner hospitals to address the needs of families and provide professional education to NICU staff. 

This program is implemented nationwide through March of Dimes chapters and locally in South Carolina at Greenville Hospital System Women and Children’s Hospital.  NICU Family Support welcomes those who are able to volunteer time or materials. If you live in or around the Greenville area and would like to become involved, please contact NFS Specialists Rachel Balck at rbalck@marchofdimes.com or C. Hope Lienau at clienau@marchofdimes.com.

Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait       

Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait (HBWW) is a preterm birth prevention initiative with a focus on “preventable” late preterm birth. Through partnerships and collaborations between hospitals, health departments and community organizations, HBWW provides education for pregnant patients, health care providers and the greater community to understand the problem of preterm birth and what measures can be taken to reduce the risks of it occurring.

The South Carolina March of Dimes encourages all moms-to-be to sign our online pledge to remain pregnant for 39 weeks (unless medically indicated).

Disaster Preparedness

Disaster can strike at any time. Throughout the year South Carolina families can face natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, fire or inclement weather. The March of Dimes wants your family to be prepared.

Prematurity Campaign

Each week in South Carolina more than 174 babies are born too soon. Many struggle to survive. The March of Dimes is fighting to give all babies a healthy start in life.

In 2010, the national premature birth rate dropped for a third consecutive year to 12.2% in 2009. (Locally in South Carolina, our rate declined from 15.5% to 14.3%--a difference of almost 700 babies born on time!) This is a trend in the right direction: down. And while a modest trend, it is encouraging!  

We know that this is more than a statistic; it means that thousands of families were spared the grief and challenges of watching their babies struggle in NICUs. It also is validation that the work of the March of Dimes has undertaken--from raising maternal awareness to improving the quality of prenatal care to launching bold interventions--is making a difference in the lives of babies.

Select Health of South Carolina, Inc. is our premier Prematurity Campaign partner.