Download In one year in the Greater Capital Division

In one year in the Greater Capital Division...*
42,858 babies are born
3,926 babies are born prematurely - 9.2% of all births in the Greater Capital Division
9,410 pregnant women receive late or no prenatal care
2,613 babies are born at a low birthweight
1,299 babies are born with a birth defect
216 babies don't live to see their first birthday
2012 Community Grants in the Greater Capital Division
Both of these projects are projected to run for three years. Funding totals are for Year One of the project.
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento - Statewide Project (based in Sacramento County)
$36,602
In collaboration with the California Department of Public Health, this project will provide training to staff working with
teen
mothers enrolled
in the
California
Family Life Program (AFLP) in more than 40 counties across the
Community
Awards
in the
Bay Adolescent
Area
state. The project will use My Life Plan, a reproductive life plan and goal setting tool specifically for teen mothers that
was developed with previous March of Dimes grant funding. The training will help all AFLP sites across the state to
integrate My Life Plan into their case management structure. The Case Manager’s role is to provide education and
guidance on behavior change and decision-making skills enabling teen mothers to make healthy choices regarding
contraception, physical activity, and decreasing alcohol and substance use.
University of California, Davis Medical Center - Sacramento County
$50,000
This project will develop a new CenteringPregnancy model for high-risk pregnancies - including patients with conditions
such as gestational diabetes, hypertension and obesity - with the goal of improving prenatal health indicators and
decreasing the preterm birth rate among participants. Previous CenteringPregnancy models have focused on low-risk
pregnant populations. This facility serves a large population of Latina and African-American women who have limited
access to health care resources. The aim of the project is to develop a model that can be replicated in other sites
serving high-risk pregnant women.
Statewide Cooperative Partnership (based in Sacramento)
American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, District IX (2010-12)
$141,150
This project will establish a speakers and mentors bureau of obstetric leaders in California to disseminate the Less Than
39 Weeks Toolkit to obstetric providers at hospitals throughout California. The obstetric leaders will develop a
curriculum and use it to conduct train-the-trainer events for health professionals, and will also provide intensive
mentorship and technical assistance to 10 hospitals seeking to eliminate elective deliveries before 39 weeks gestation.
Community Awards in the Greater Capital Division
Alyboo & Izybee Foundation
$750
The Alyboo & Izybee Foundation (ABIBF) is an organization dedicated to providing families of premature infants with a
resting place close to their infant 24 hours a day through their RVs for Preemies mobile vehicle program. In addition,
the organization provides families with items needed for their infant’s hospital stay such as hats, booties, blankets and
isolette covers. Award funding will provide these items for families with infants in the NICUs at Sutter Memorial Hospital,
Sacramento and Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
Center for Community Health and Well-Being
$3,000
Funding will support training for nurse practitioners, midwives and volunteers on the impact of drug and alcohol abuse
during and after pregnancy. Funds will also be used to purchase educational materials for patients about substance use
during pregnancy. This project aims to reach over 250 women through prenatal visits and childbirth education classes.
The Greater Capital Division is part of the March of Dimes California Chapter
and includes Alpine, Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc,
Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba Counties.
* Statistics are based on most recent data available. Source: California Department of Public Health
Research Funding
For 2012, the March of Dimes has almost $12 million in research grants active in California.
In the Greater Capital Division, March of Dimes is investing almost $500,000 to fund 3 scientists at UC
Davis. These scientists are working on projects including working to determine the specific cause of birth
defects caused by errors in chromosome function and identifying how folic acid helps to prevent neural
tube defects, such as spina bifida.
March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center at Stanford University
In 2011, the March of Dimes and Stanford University launched the nation’s first transdisciplinary Research Center
dedicated to identifying the causes of premature birth. The Center will bring together specialists in disciplines
ranging from neonatology and genetics to computer science and artificial intelligence.
The March of Dimes contributed $2 million toward the launch of the Prematurity Research Center and will provide
support for the project through 2020.
For more information about March of Dimes research funding, visit marchofdimes.com/research
Advocacy
In 2011, March of Dimes sponsored bill AB 395, which permanently added Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
(SCID), commonly known as “bubble boy disease”, to the California Newborn Screening Panel.
In 2012, we will be advocating for AB 1731, which would require all newborns in California to be screened for critical
congenital heart disease (CCHD). An estimated 30 babies die each year in California from undiagnosed CCHD,
deaths that could be prevented if detected and treated earlier.
We are also supporting AB 2109, which will ensure that parents have accurate information about immunizations.
Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait
The last weeks of pregnancy are important in a baby’s development. Major organs, like the brain,
lungs and liver, are still growing. At least 39 weeks of pregnancy gives babies all the time they
need to grow before they’re born.
The March of Dimes has launched the Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait Initiative to offer
information to pregnant women on why getting to at least 39 weeks is so important.
For professionals, we encourage participation in quality improvement initiatives, such as
implementing the Elimination of Non-medically Indicated (Elective) Deliveries Before 39 Weeks
Toolkit, which was developed by the California Chapter, in collaboration with the California
Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and the California Department of Public Health.
For more information, visit PrematurityPrevention.org or marchofdimes.com/hbww.
March of Dimes Preterm Labor Assessment Toolkit (PLAT)
This toolkit aims to standardize the assessment and diagnosis of women who come to the hospital with signs and
symptoms of preterm labor. Using this toolkit ensures timely and appropriate interventions for preterm labor,
effective transport of preterm labor patients and hospitalization of those patients at greatest risk of preterm birth.
The toolkit is implemented in over 45 hospitals statewide, and over 15 of these hospitals have completed an
evaluation of the Toolkit’s effect on positively changing clinicians’ patient assessment behavior.
Download a free copy of the toolkit at PrematurityPrevention.org. An enhanced, revised edition of PLAT will be
released in 2012.
NICU Family Support®
The NICU Family Support program provides comfort and information to families with a baby in neonatal intensive
care. The California Chapter has four NICU Family Support sites across California. In addition to serving over 2,500
families each year through our hospital-based sites, we also provide online information and support via the Share
Your Story site for NICU families. Share Your Story can be accessed at ShareYourStory.org.
The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
We pursue this mission through programs of research, community services, education and advocacy.
For over 70 years, the March of Dimes has demonstrated a proven track record of breakthroughs for babies.