Sources: David Rose/March of Dimes Archives
March of Dimes Prematurity
Campaign Timeline
This timeline lists some major milestones in the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign since 2003 to illustrate the range of research, programs, and advocacy initiatives in the prevention of preterm birth. The timeline is not intended to be a comprehensive history.
2003
Prematurity Campaign: March of Dimes launches its Prematurity Campaign, a five-year, multi-million dollar campaign to fight premature birth and to raise awareness of its serious consequences. The campaign is officially launched on January 30, 2003.
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| 2003 National Ambassador Emma Henderson cuts the ceremonial ribbon with President Dr. Jennifer Howse to kick off the Prematurity Campaign. |
Prematurity Awareness Month/Day: Beginning in 2003, the March of Dimes has designated
November as Prematurity Awareness Month as a strategy to raise awareness about
the problem of prematurity. Prematurity Awareness Day places focus on
prematurity through rallies, vigils, news stories, displays, public lightings,
symposia, and public events throughout the U.S.
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| The Chicago Theater display supporting Prematurity Awareness Month |
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| Empire State Building lit purple in honor of Prematurity Awareness Day. 2008 |
2004
Prematurity Research Initiative (PRI): This special research program augments the general
research grant program of the Foundation, focusing on genetics and
gene-environment interactions relating to the causes and mechanisms of
prematurity. PRI discoveries have included a determining a gene variant related
to increased risk of premature rupture of fetal membranes (2006), the
relationship between prematurity and cholesterol metabolism (2007), and finding
an important pathway to preeclampsia (2008) among other significant research
findings.
2005
Share YourStory: March of Dimes establishes Share Your Story website, an online community for NICU families.
Mission Statement: The March of Dimes Board of Trustees approves the inclusion of “premature birth” in the Foundation’s mission statement.
NICU Family Support: March of Dimes launched NICU Family Support in three pilot projects in 2002. Implemented by March of Dimes chapters, over 20 hospitals offered this service by 2005, and it expanded to hospitals in all 50 states in 2007. By 2009, the program is available in 94 hospitals nationwide.
2006
Health Babies are Worth the Wait: March of Dimes launches the Prematurity Prevention
Initiative in Kentucky known as “Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait,” in
collaboration with the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute and the
Department of Public Health of Kentucky. The purpose of the three-year
partnership is to concentrate an array of clinical, education, and public
health interventions through six major Kentucky hospitals and local communities
to prevent preterm birth and reduce the preterm birth rate in the state. In
2010, this pilot project is expanded to Texas and New Jersey.
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| Chairman of the Board of Trustees LaVerne Council speaking at the 2010 launch of the HBWW Launch Event in Newark, NJ. |
Global
Report on Birth Defects: March of
Dimes Office of Global Programs releases Global
Report on Birth Defects: The Hidden Toll of Dying and Disabled Children,
the first comprehensive report on birth defects from an international
perspective.
PREEMIE Act: In 2004, March of Dimes President Jennifer Howse
testified before a Senate subcommittee in support of the Premature Research
Expansion and Education Act for Mothers (PREEMIE) Act (P.L. 109-450) to expand
research, education, and services to fight premature birth. In 2006, March of
Dimes advocacy led to passage of the PREEMIE Act to bring together experts from
the private and public sectors to speed development of prevention strategies
for preterm labor and delivery.
Institute of Medicine Report: With March of Dimes sponsorship, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies publishes Preterm Birth: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention, a comprehensive assessment of preterm birth as a major and complex public health problem.
Late Preterm
Birth: The March of Dimes Perinatal
Data Center brings focus to the problem of “late preterm birth,” (births that
occur between 34 and 36 weeks gestation), as having a higher incidence of
morbidity and mortality than full-term infants.
2007
Advocacy for Newborn Screening: March of Dimes volunteer efforts lead to increase in newborn screening. Nearly 90% of all babies born in the U.S., more than double the percentage in 2005, live in states that require screening for at least 21 of 29 life-threatening but treatable disorders.
2008
Prematurity Campaign, Phase II: Board of Trustees passes unanimous resolution to extend the Prematurity Campaign to 2020, to extend the campaign globally, and to take a more outspoken public stance on the problem of prematurity.
NewbornScreening Saves Lives Act: Congress
passes the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act (S. 1858) which establishes
national guidelines on what conditions should be tested in newborn screening
programs.
Surgeon General’s
Conference: One important provision
of the PREEMIE Act was the authorization of a Surgeon General’s Conference on
Prevention of Preterm Birth, held on June 16-17, to develop a national agenda
for action to accelerate prevention strategies for preterm birth.
Premature Birth Report Card: The Foundation
issues a national and state-by-state Premature Birth Report Card in conjunction
with Prematurity Awareness Month to grade individual states on the incidence of
prematurity in each state.
2009
Mandate for Newborn Screening: The March of Dimes announces that newborns in all fifty states receive mandated screening for 29 serious genetic and functional disorders as a result of bi-partisan advocacy efforts led by March of Dimes chapters.
Symposium for Quality Improvement: The March of Dimes holds a Symposium for Quality
Improvement to Prevent Prematurity as an outcome of the Surgeon General’s
Conference on Prematurity to focus on critical interventions to prevent preterm
birth.
Global
Report on Preterm Birth: In October,
the March of Dimes releases its White Paper, The Global and Regional Toll of Preterm Birth, describing the first
global estimates of preterm birth. The report was done in collaboration with
the World Health Organization and announced at the 4th International
Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World held in
New Delhi, India.
2010
Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy III: Issued in November 2010, Toward Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy: Enhancing Perinatal Health through Quality, Safety, and Performance Initiatives set forth recommendations and defined opportunities to improve perinatal health by focusing on systems change, quality improvement, patient safety, and performance improvement.
