Waterbury, Vermont, August 30, 2012 —

    The Vermont Chapter of the March of Dimes made a grant of $2800 to support a new Centering Pregnancy program at Northwestern Medical Center.
     “We’re thrilled to be able to support this innovative program at Northwestern Medical Center,” said Roger Clapp, State Director of the March of Dimes. “Centering Pregnancy provides a great community service for moms and babies in the area and will enhance an already strong perinatal program here.”
    Centering Pregnancy is a community-based program that provides education and guidance to prospective mothers in a group setting. Northwestern Medical Center’s Family Birth Center and Northwestern Obstetrics & Gynecology practice are collaborating to provide the new service to the greater Franklin and Grand Isle County region with over 400 births per year at NMC.
    “We believe introducing the Centering approach will improve the patient experience as well as clinical outcomes,” said Anna Gabaree, RN, BSN, OB Service Line Project Leader at NMC. “We’re very appreciative of the support of the March of Dimes in launching this effort.”
    The first Centering Pregnancy group at NMC will be initiated next month. The March of Dimes grant will be used to train additional staff in conducting Centering programs at NMC. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies, and Vermont was the first state to receive an “A” rating this past year on National Report Card on Premature Birth! “We’re committed to continuing the decline in premature birth by working together with partners like NMC for stronger, healthier babies,” said Roger Clapp. “Centering Pregnancy is proving to be one of our most effective programs.”