Advocacy Network
The Advocacy Network is made up of volunteers and staff who promote the March of Dimes mission agenda by contacting the governor and state legislators in response to Chapter action alerts.

If you are interested in becoming a public affairs volunteer, or being part of the advocacy network, please contact: 
Vermont Director of Program Services
(802) 479-3265

Public Policy Research
One of the responsibilities of the March of Dimes Office of Government Affairs is to direct public policy studies that support national and Chapter advocacy priorities.

Vermont Advocacy Issues and Priorities
Advocacy is an important priority of the Vermont March of Dimes Chapter. Each year we are a daily presence at the statehouse in Montpelier advocating for families who know first hand the impacts of having a baby born too soon or too small.  Parents, health professionals, business leaders and other volunteers join us to offer testimony and meet with key legislators.

 

Here is a list of our some of our accomplishments:

*Smoking During Pregnancy – In 2008, we advocated successfully for an $110,000 earmark of tobacco funds to target pregnant smokers. Vermont has one of the highest rates of smoking during pregnancy in the nation. Nearly 20% of pregnant women smoke in Vermont compared to 12% nationally.

*Newborn Screening – We successfully advocated for a comprehensive and complete list of the Vermont new born screening panel. If caught early, many diseases that are screened for are treatable, and the children can live normal lives. 

*Access to Healthcare – Every year we work locally to successfully prevent increases to premiums for programs such as Dr. Dynasuar so children and pregnant women have access to health care. In addition, we were able to protect pregnant women from 'preexisting clauses' to guarentee prenatal care under Vermont's Catamount Health Insurance Program.