The state of Georgia has one of the highest premature birth rates in the country, with 323 preterm and 53 very preterm babies born each week. In fact, in 2002, 12.6 percent of all births in the state of Georgia were preterm! During 2000-2002 (average) in Georgia, the preterm birth rate was highest for black infants (16.0 percent), followed by Native Americans (11.8 percent), whites (11.1 percent), Asians (9.5 percent) and Hispanics (9.0 percent).
"Prematurity is a serious problem in Georgia, affecting hundreds of families each week," said Dr. George Bugg, a neonatologist with Grady Hospital and March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign Chair. "Georgia has a fast growing population which means that at the current rate, more and more families in our state will be affected by a premature birth unless something is done."
Prematurity is a silent crisis in America and has been escalating steadily and alarmingly over the past two decades. Between 1981 and 2002, the rate of premature births in the country rose from 9.4 percent to 12.1, an increase of more than 29 percent! It now affects one out of every eight babies born in the United States.
Preterm delivery can happen to any pregnant woman and in nearly half the cases, no one knows why. Premature birth is the leading cause of death within the first month of life and the second leading cause of death within the first year.
In addition to the physical and emotional toll of premature birth, it also places a tremendous financial burden on our health systems, businesses and society as a whole. On average, hospital charges for newborns without complications run $1,300. Costs for hospital stays for infants with a principal diagnosis of prematurity average a startling $75,000. In 2001, hospital charges for all infants totaled $29.3 billion. Nearly 50 percent of these costs were for babies who were born too soon or too small.
All health care payerspublic and privateshare the cost of caring for premature babies. Employers and other private health plans are responsible for half the total hospital bill for prematurity. Medicaid also bears a large share of the cost. The costs of prematurity often don't stop when babies leave the hospital. About 25 percent of the youngest and smallest babies live with long-term health problems, including cerebral palsy, blindness and other chronic conditions.
The March of Dimes is stepping up to the plate to take on this devastating problem, to find out what causes it and how it can be stopped. In correlation with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdues recent proclamation of November as Georgia Prematurity Awareness Month, the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter will host a Prematurity Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004, at the Georgia Tech Conference Center coliseum in Atlanta. Invitees will include lobbyists, legislators, public health officials, public relations and marketing professionals, insurance company representatives, business leaders and health care providers.
The Summit will provide an opportunity for decision-makers throughout the state to learn more about the seriousness of prematurity and the role of the March of Dimes in addressing the issue. Breakout session topics will include The Problem of Prematurity, How to Market the Messages of Prematurity, The Cost of Prematurity, Prematurity and the Media: A Panel Discussion, Disparities in Premature Birth and more.
In 2003, the March of Dimes launched its Prematurity Campaign, a five-year, $75 million research, awareness and education campaign to help families have healthier babies. The campaign includes: funding research to find the causes of premature birth, educating families about the warning signs of premature labor and what can be done to prevent it, providing support to families of babies in the NICU, expanding access to health care coverage so that more women can get prenatal care, helping health care providers learn ways to help reduce the risk of early delivery, and advocating for access to insurance to improve maternity care and infant health outcomes.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies.
For additional perinatal statistics visit www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/ or www.marchofdimes.com/georgia.