SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The reality of preterm birth is heart-wrenching and costly. The statistics are sobering. 1 in 10 babies is born preterm (less than 37 weeks gestation) each year in the United States. Preterm birth is the number one killer of newborns in the United States. Those babies who survive are at greater risk for lifelong health complications. The average medical cost of preterm babies is twelve times greater than a healthy baby. Childbirth and newborn care are a big part of employers’ health insurance costs representing the most expensive conditions billed to commercial insurers for hospital care¹ and accounting for 7 of the top 10 individual hospital procedures billed². How will the next preterm baby impact business? How can businesses prepare for this impact and improve the health of their employees?

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151209/294672 
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150409/197662LOGO

“Premature birth costs businesses more than $12 billion annually in excess health care costs,” said Micah Weinberg, Ph.D. President and Senior Policy Advisor at The Bay Area Council Economic Institute. “Unfortunately, preterm birth happens unexpectedly making it challenging for businesses to anticipate the expense. When we learned about the costs of this health crisis, we knew businesses needed a tool to estimate their potential expense accurately. We partnered with March of Dimes — the country’s leading non-profit for maternal and infant health, to create the first-of-its-kind online business tool: Prematurity Cost to Business Estimator. Now, for the first time, businesses can quickly and easily estimate their preterm birth expenses and receive recommendations to improve the health and birth outcomes of their employees.”

The estimator is designed to increase awareness about the impact of prematurity and improve the health of employees and their babies through the use of existing, comprehensive health information and recommendations provided by March of Dimes. “By investing in the prevention of preterm birth, employers can help families and rein in their health care costs at the same time,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of March of Dimes. “At the March of Dimes, we don’t believe it’s appropriate to single out individual employees’ health care costs. However, the fact that premature birth is costing companies millions of dollars is something we cannot afford to ignore. The March of Dimes stands ready to work with all interested companies in developing policies that can help to reduce employees’ risk of preterm birth.”

The March of Dimes recommends steps that businesses can take to support maternal and newborn health, including the implementation of “Healthy Babies, Healthy Business®” – the March of Dimes free web-based pregnancy wellness program.” More information is available at marchofdimes.org/hbhb.

Currently in beta testing, this interactive web-based tool was “officially released” at a special luncheon at The Bay Area Council Economic Institute on December 10.  “We believe the estimator will be extremely helpful for companies with 500 employees or more. This tool allows companies to estimate the real impact of preterm birth on their business,” said Tré McCalister Ed.D, Co-Chair of the National March of Dimes Prematurity Cost to Business Steering Committee and Principal, Total Health Management, Mercer.

According to March of Dimes, about half of premature births happen from unknown causes. Even if a woman has done everything right during her pregnancy, she can go into premature labor and give birth early. March of Dimes recommends steps women can take to reduce preterm birth risk, such as to quit smoking, get to a healthy weight before pregnancy and birth spacing. The complete list, including signs of preterm labor, is available here http://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/reduce-your-risk-of-preterm-labor-and-birth.aspx

To try the Prematurity Cost to Business Estimator, the new free March of Dimes business tool, go to b2b.marchofdimes.org. Details about the methodology can be found can be found in the March of Dimes California newsroom http://www.marchofdimes.org/california/news_13748.html. For national Premature Birth Report Card information visit here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7653351-march-of-dimes-premature-birth-report/

References

¹ Wier, L.M. (Thomson Reuters) and Andrews, R.M. (AHRQ). The National Hospital Bill: The Most Expensive Conditions by Payer, 2008. HCUP Statistical Brief #107. March 2011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb107.pdf

² Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Accessed at http://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/HCUPnet.jsp.

About March of Dimes
The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Each year nearly 4,000,000 babies are born in the United States and March of Dimes touches each one of them through research, education, community programs, support, and advocacy. March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.org. For resources in Spanish, visit nacersano.org. Find March of Dimes on Facebook and follow on Twitter. A wealth of educational video resources is available on the March of Dimes YouTube channel.

About the Bay Area Council Economic Institute
The Bay Area Council Economic Institute is a public-private partnership of business, labor, government and higher education that works to foster a competitive economy in California and the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland and Silicon Valley. The Economic Institute produces authoritative analyses on economic policy issues affecting the region and the state, including infrastructure, globalization, energy, science and governance, and mobilizes California and Bay Area leaders around targeted policy initiatives.

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Marijuana is the most commonly-used illegal drug during pregnancy, and now that it has been legalized in many states, either for recreational or medical use, health care providers are becoming more concerned about the health risks it poses for babies.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150409/197662LOGO

Opioid-based prescription painkillers are also commonly used by women of childbearing age in the United States, and the incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a phrase used to describe the serious withdrawal symptoms that babies can face, increased five-fold nationwide between 2000 and 2012.

Two leading experts presented the latest scientific findings about the risks of short-term and long-term consequences to babies from these mood-altering drugs when taken during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Jennifer N. Lind, PharmD, MPH, a pharmacist and epidemiologist with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Larry Wolk, MD, MSPH, Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, spoke at an editorial luncheon sponsored by the March of Dimes today.    

Nearly five percent of pregnant women report using marijuana, said Dr. Wolk. 

“There is no known safe amount of marijuana use during pregnancy, and it can pass from mother to the unborn baby; and it can be passed through breast milk,” he said. “The health consequences may not appear until the child is in school and having difficulty learning or paying attention.”

Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued statements outlining their concerns about the risk of marijuana use during pregnancy and the risks to babies.

Dr. Lind noted that many women are unaware that taking prescription opioid-based medications such as codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, or morphine, during pregnancy may increase the risk for some birth defects and other poor pregnancy outcomes (such as miscarriage and premature birth), in addition to NAS.  “If you’re pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, don’t start or stop taking any medications without first talking with a healthcare provider,” she said. She also urged doctors to discuss the potential risks and benefits of opioid medications with women of childbearing age and pregnant women, before prescribing.

In November 2015, the federal Protecting Our Infants Act was signed into law by President Obama. This legislation will support efforts to collect and share strategies and best practices to prevent and treat maternal opioid use and abuse, as well as provide recommendations for diagnosing and treating babies suffering from withdrawal. 

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs.  Find out how you can help prevent premature birth and birth defects by joining March for Babies at marchforbabies.org. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org.  Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

WHITE PLAINS, New York, Dec. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — STATEMENT FROM DR. JENNIFER L. HOWSE, PRESIDENT OF THE MARCH OF DIMES, regarding today’s release of the NCHS Data Brief, “Mortality in the United States, 2014″:

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150409/197662LOGO

Reducing infant mortality is part of the March of Dimes mission, and for infant death rates to reach an historic low is worthy of celebration.  We are proud that the March of Dimes Prematurity Prevention Campaign, launched in 2003, has played a key role in reducing preterm birth and associated infant mortality.

However, we should point out that preterm birth — with preterm-related causes of death including bacterial sepsis of newborn and respiratory distress of newborn — remains the leading cause of infant mortality and the number one killer of newborns.  Many communities, as well as specific racial and ethnic groups, continue to suffer from the tragic and costly consequences of double-digit rates of preterm birth. 

On November 17, 2015, the March of Dimes unveiled a plan to focus more attention and resources on these “high population and/or high-burden” areas with the goal of reducing the nation’s preterm birth rate to 5.5 percent by 2030.  The first phase of the March of Dimes plan will focus on selected interventions, such as optimal birth spacing, in the six states or U.S. territories with the highest rates of preterm birth. The second phase of the plan calls for bringing attention to an additional 10 states with more than 100,000 births each year.  Meanwhile, the March of Dimes will continue our ongoing prematurity prevention activities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.org or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.