| On August 1, 2006 the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act, or the “PREEMIE” bill, was approved by the United States Senate with no dissenting votes. On August 3, 2006, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) held a press conference on Capitol Hill at announce the bill’s approval and to encourage their colleagues in the House of Representatives to act on the legislation before the end of this Congress. In addition to Senators Alexander and Dodd, Susan Boucher, a Mission Family mother of twins born at 28 weeks, and Dr. Marina L. Weiss, March of Dimes Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Government affairs spoke at the press conference.
In a statement released at the press conference, Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes, said, “Today, on behalf of 3 million active volunteers and 1400 staff of the March of Dimes working in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, I commend the United State Senate for approving the “PREEMIE” bill. I particularly thank the bill sponsors, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT), and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, for his leadership in bringing the bill to a vote in the Senate. I also thank the 40 additional Senate cosponsors for their endorsement of this measure that sets the stage for expanding federal support for much needed research into the causes of premature birth.”
Senator Alexander said, “On average, 214 babies are born prematurely each week in Tennessee. We simply do no know why half of these babies are born preterm and this legislation will help solve that mystery. It will also help us reduce the number of premature births and take better care of babies that do arrive too soon.”
Senator Dodd said, “Each year, more than 500,000 babies, including more than 4,100 in Connecticut, are born prematurely. Although we do know some risk factors associated with premature births, nearly half have no known cause. We need to ensure that both the education and research efforts associated with prematurity and low birth weight are reaching as may expectant mothers as possible.”
Susan Boucher told the story of the birth of her twins, John and Eleanor. She spoke about how the twins, now 18 months old, spent nearly three months in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and continue to experience health problems associated with their preterm birth. Ms. Boucher was also interviewed by a local television station about Senate approval of the “PREEMIE” bill.
Dr. Weiss said, “At the March of Dimes, we believe that in approving the “PREEMIE” act by unanimous consent the Senate made a very strong statement about the need to address the serious and growing problem of preterm birth.”
All the speakers emphasized the need for the House of Representatives to quickly approve the “PREEMIE” Act in the House.
SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina is celebrating a significant advocacy accomplishment. As part of its Lobby Day, the Chapter held a breakfast at the State Capitol that was attended by many legislators and staff. Volunteers met with their legislators and made the critical – and successful – “ask” for an appropriation to fund the South Carolina Birth Defects Surveillance and Prevention Program. As a result, after 9 years and more than $2 million in March of Dimes grants, volunteers and staff have convinced Governor Mark Sanford and Members of the state Legislature to provide public funding for the system. In 2007, more than $608,000 in recurring state funds will be available to operate the system, and an additional $244,000 will be applied to upgrading the program’s data collection capacity. Because the state has assumed responsibility for on-going funding of the system, the Chapter will be able to support other urgently needed programs aimed at improving the health of South Carolina’s women, infants and children. |
