Health Disparities History
March of Dimes Initiatives Relating to
Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Polio Field Trials, Jackson, Mississippi, 1954.
Charles
H. Bynum: Charles H. Bynum, an
African-American teacher and civil rights activist, was Director of Interracial
Activities from 1944 to 1972. His outreach to African-Americans helped to
ensure that black children and adults received proper medical care in polio
epidemics. His work consisted of ensuring that African-Americans were aware of
the March of Dimes mission, recruiting black professional organizations to help
advance our mission, and ensuring that March of Dimes-sponsored polio care for
blacks was applied equally and fairly.
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| Charles Bynum |
Tuskegee
Institute: The March of Dimes supported
Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) for over three decades, first with
a grant of $1.6 million for the construction of a 36-bed infantile paralysis
center in 1941. The Tuskegee Institute Infantile Paralysis Center became part
of the children’s unit of the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital and was the
first after-care center for African-Americans with polio. March of Dimes grants
to the Tuskegee Institute for the period 1946 to 1968 totaled $6.5 million for
the polio center and nursing education.
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| Tuskegee Institute Infantile Paralysis Center |
Sickle
Cell Disease: The March of Dimes has
supported research into the causes and treatment of sickle cell disease for
over 40 years. Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease of red blood cells
affecting primarily African Americans and Hispanics of Caribbean ancestry. The
March of Dimes has funded sickle cell research, prenatal tests for sickle cell
anemia, screening clinics, and the creation of sickle cell treatment centers. The
Foundation helped to establish one of the first pediatric clinics in the U.S.
to care for infants and children with sickle cell disease at the Mt. Sinai
Medical Center in New York City in the late 1970s.
Other Genetic Diseases Affecting Minorities: Tay-Sachs Disease is a genetic disorder that has a
high incidence in Ashkenazi Jews and certain other ethnic populations. The
March of Dimes has funded research into the causes and prevention of this
disease as well as Tay-Sachs screening and educational programs. We have also
funded research for the prevention and treatment of thalassemia (Cooley’s
anemia), an inherited blood disease that affects people of Mediterranean,
Middle Eastern, and southern Asiatic ancestry.
Partnerships with Service Organizations: The March of Dimes
partnered with the Zeta Phi Beta sorority
in 1971 to create the Stork’s Nest program. Stork’s Nest is a national community
service project providing educational and referral services to low-income
pregnant women to promote healthy pregnancy, good nutrition, prenatal care, and
alcohol and smoking cessation. In 1974, we partnered with the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority
for Project Reassurance, an educational program on drugs and pregnancy; and in
1981 with Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to create Project Alpha, an educational,
motivational, and skill-building program for teen-age males focusing on teen
pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
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| Elaine Whitelaw and Janice Kissner, 1974. |
Hispanic/Latino Outreach: Since the 1960s, March of
Dimes educational publications on healthy pregnancy and perinatal health issues
have consistently connected with Hispanic audiences with Spanish-language
versions. Print publications and online outreach in Spanish have included such
subjects as perinatal health, prevention of preterm birth, folic acid, genetic
counseling, smoking cessation, rubella prevention, domestic violence,
vaccination, and AIDS among other subjects. The March of Dimes Spanish language
web site nacersano.org complements the English version of marchofdimes.org.
Native American Outreach: In the 1950s, the March of Dimes recognized the needs of native Americans regarding polio care, and its chapters provided Salk polio vaccine as needed in free clinics to those on reservations in the western U.S. The Foundation continued such support by considering the health and welfare resources of native Americas on reservations by including tribal councils in perinatal health networks. A recent project, The Coming of the Blessing, involved the collaboration native American public health representatives in the production of an educational document on pregnancy and prenatal care that is sensitive to the expectations and standards of several different native American cultures.
Racial Disparities in Prematurity: The March of Dimes has recognized that differences in
the access and quality of care are factors in the problem of premature birth.
Almost 20% of African-American women receive inadequate prenatal care, and our
Prematurity Campaign addresses this through community services and advocacy at
federal and state levels. We also recognize that the effects of racism, and the
socioeconomic factors with which it is associated, play an unfortunate role in this
complex, systemic problem. March of Dimes chapters have created programs that
address the problem of racial disparities in prematurity. One is Honey Child, a
prenatal education program for African-American women in Texas. This program is
expressly designed to help prevent preterm birth, which is the leading cause of
death for African-American infants. Another program is the Sister-Friends
Birthing Project in New York. Our grant to the Brooklyn Perinatal Network
provides social support, education, and advocacy for low-income
African-American and Afro-Caribbean pregnant women at risk for poor birth
outcomes. In this project, pregnant women called “little sisters” are paired
with community leaders called “sister-friends” who provide practical one-on-one
support during pregnancy and until the child’s first birthday.
January 13, 2014 / David Rose / March of Dimes Archives
