Premature Birth - Tennessee Report Card Released, state improves to grade "C", from the March of Dimes

News Release
Release Date: Embargoed until 12:01 a.m. ET Nov. 13, 2012

Contact:

Phil Toothman, March of Dimes, Tennessee Director of Marketing 615-800-7179, ptoothman@marchofdimes.com

TENNESSEE CELEBRATES FIVE-YEAR IMPROVEMENT IN PRETERM BIRTH RATE
Receives “C” On 2012 March Of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card

Tennessee Office
1101 Kermit Drive, #201 Nashville, TN 37217 Telephone (615) 399-3200 Fax (615) 399-0039
marchofdimes.com/tennessee

DATELINE, Nov. 13, 2012 – Tennessee earned a better grade on the March of Dimes 2012 Premature Birth report card, giving more babies a healthy start in life and contributing to the national five-year improving trend.

Tennessee earned a C on the report card for lowering its preterm birth rate to 12.8 percent.

“We’re proud that our state’s preterm birth rate is improving, thanks to the work of the March of Dimes and our partners. Tennessee’s progress means that more babies are being born healthy, excess health care costs are being reduced, and families are being spared the heartache of having a baby born too soon,” said Leslie Ladd, March of Dime’s State Director “To continue this progress for mothers and babies, the Tennessee Department of Health and the March of Dimes have set a goal to reduce premature birth by at least 8 percent between 2009 and 2014.”

Here, in Tennessee, the March of Dimes is supporting Group Prenatal Programs, Hospital efforts to end Early Elective Deliveries and programs to address disparities in preterm births that will help women have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies.

Tennessee is part of a national trend toward improved preterm birth rates, 40 states saw improvement in their preterm birth rates between 2010 and 2011. On the 2012 Report Card, 16 states, including 

Tennessee got a better grade. Nationwide, the largest declines in preterm birth occurred among babies born at 34 to 36 weeks of pregnancy, but the improvement was across the

board. Nationally, every racial and ethnic group benefitted, and the preterm birth rates for babies born at all stages of pregnancy improved.

Since 2006, Tennessee’s preterm birth rate has dropped to 12.8 percent. In Tennessee, the rate of late preterm births is 9.1% and the rate of uninsured women is 18.1%.
These factors contribute to improved infant health in Tennessee. It earned a star on the report card for:

• *  Reducing the percent of uninsured women of child-bearing age;
  
• * Lowering the late preterm birth rate.
  These improvements mean not just healthier babies, but also a potential savings in health care and economic costs to society.
  The March of Dimes attributed the improved rates to an expansion of successful programs and interventions, including actions by state health officials here and in 47 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, who formally set goals to lower their preterm birth rates 8 percent by 2014 from their 2009 rate.
  
  “We will continue to work together to improve access to health care, help women quit smoking and, through our Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait consumer education campaign, encourage women and health care providers to avoid scheduling a delivery before 39 weeks of pregnancy unless medically necessary, says Valencia Nelson, Tennessee Director of Program Services.
  The United States again received a “C” on the March of Dimes Report Card. Grades are based on comparing each state’s and the nation’s 2011 preliminary preterm birth rates with the March of Dimes 2020 goal of 9.6 percent of all live births. The U.S. preterm birth rate is 11.7 percent, a decline of more than 8 percent from the peak of 12.8 percent in 2006.
  
  The Report Card information for the U.S. and states will be available online at: marchofdimes.com/reportcard.
  
  Preterm birth, birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, is a serious health problem that costs the United States more than $26 billion annually, according to the Institute of Medicine. It is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifetime health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and others. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants. At least 39 weeks of pregnancy are important to a baby’s health because many important organs, including the brain and lungs, are not completely developed until then.
  

On November 17th, partners from around the world will mark the Second World Prematurity Day in support of the Every Woman Every Child effort led by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. An estimated 15 million babies are born preterm and of those more than a million die as a result of their early birth.
Prematurity Awareness events are happening throughout November, including Blue Jeans for Babies events in Memphis, Jackson & Chattanooga, Signature Chefs Auctions in Memphis, Knoxville and Johnson City and Macy’s Community Shopping Day in Nashville. Details can be found at www.marchofdimes.com/Tennessee . Other updates & activities include......

• * Established a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health, TN Initiative on Perinatal Quality Care, and TN Hospital Association to implement a Healthy Babies Are Worth The WaitTM education campaign to improve preventable late preterm rates, please visit http://www.healthytennesseebabies.com/ for more details.
  
• * Continue to fund evidenced based Centering Pregnancy programs designed to improve access to and utilization of prenatal health services;
  
• * Support Stork’s Nest programs to enhance prenatal care through partnerships with local Zeta Phi Beta Sororities to help address disparities in infant mortality and prematurity among African American communities;
  
• * Support innovative approaches to educate more women about the importance of being healthy before a pregnancy ever begins;
  
• * Provide informational support and risk reduction education to families affected by preterm birth through our NICU Family Support program;
  
• * Received more than $1 million dollars in research grants to find the answers to various contributors to poor birth outcomes;
  
  The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.