SHOW ME THE MONEY!

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You always hear about charities raising money, 

but you don't hear too much about how they spend it. 

Until now.

Below is a fact sheet put together by the Texas Chapter. 

It  explains more about what the March of Dimes is, and what the folks  there are doing to help - thanks largely through the money raised at  events like March for Babies.

And,  after you go over the heavy numbers, be sure to click on this for a  different sort of breakdown that's equally important to absorb. 

The March of Dimes helps moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy  babies. And if something goes wrong, we offer information and comfort to  families. We research the problems that threaten our babies and work on  preventing them. The money raised through March for Babies, and other  March of Dimes fundraising events, supports lifesaving research,  community services, education and advocacy that helps babies get a healthy start.   

PREMATURITY: most common threat to the health of babies 

•  1 in 7 babies in Texas (over 52,000 a year) are born premature. In the U.S. it is 1 out of 8 babies.
•  Leading cause of newborn death.
•  $26.2 billion in annual societal cost (medical,  educational and lost production) associated with preterm birth in the USA. [$18 billion in hospital costs alone] 

Research to find the answers: $8.9 million funds 43 research grants active at Texas research universities in 2007.

Texas research sites include and have included:

• The University of Texas at Austin
• Texas A&M University
• UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWMC)
• Cutting  edge research studying the role fetal lung surfactant may play in  triggering preterm labor—Carole R. Mendelson, PhD, UTSWMC
• Baylor College of Medicine – Houston 
• MD Anderson Cancer Center  

Newborn Screening (NBS)

Work with Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to ensure funding for newborn screening for cystic fibrosis is included in 2009 budget request to Texas legislature and to ensure all newborns are screened for hearing loss.

Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR)

The March of Dimes will work with DSHS to maintain adequate funding in ’09 for the TBDR which exists to identify and describe patterns of birth defects in Texas and collaborate with others in finding causes of birth defects, working towards prevention, and linking families with services.

Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)

Work with Texas CHIP Coalition to develop policies related to comprehensive and affordable access to care for pregnant women and infants.

Immunizations

Monitor immunization coverage for newborns and children.

•  Impact prematurity
• Increase March of Dimes visibility
• Obtain measurable results
  

1.  African-American Outreach Prematurity and low birthweight is the  leading cause of infant death among African-American infants.
   Honey  Child ($113,500) A faith-based prenatal education program aimed at  African-American pregnant women utilizing mentors and incentives.  Awakenings Movement, Greenspoint Baptist Church and Wheeler Avenue  Baptist Church in Houston and Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington  join original Greater Mt. Tabor Christian Church in Ft. Worth to provide  this program.
2. Hispanic Outreach ($104,000) Hispanics account for almost 49% of Texas births and have the second highest prematurity rate.
   Comenzando  bien, a prenatal education program culturally sensitive to Hispanic  women, is funded at 6 sites in Texas: UTHSC Houston, Avance—Dallas &  El Paso, Sisterhood of Faith in Action,Inc., Migrant Health Promotion,  Texas A&M Cooperative Education.
3. NICU Outreach to families  Give families hope by connecting almost 40,000 Texas families in 65  Level III NICUs to resources for information and emotional support,  including www.shareyourstory.org website.
   The NICU Family Support  Program will continue at Parkland Hospital in Dallas and in Austin Seton  Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Austin 
4. Centering  Pregnancy Initiative ($220,800) Group prenatal care model to improve  birth outcomes, increase social support for pregnant women, increase  prenatal care utilization and improve the quality of prenatal education  for pregnant women in Texas. Sixteen total sites includes academic  institutions in large communities and community clinics in rural  communities in Houston, Lubbock, El Paso, Longview, Weslaco, Austin, San  Antonio, Corpus Christi, Amarillo, Beaumont and Dallas. Almost 1000  pregnant women of all ages, races and ethnicities have been reached.
5. Footprint Funding ($225,000) supports local programs that meet unique  needs of individual communities. Programs in Houston, El Paso, Lubbock,  Odessa and Corpus Christi and includes prenatal education/incentive  programs and high risk pregnancy support.
6. Preconception/Interconception Care ($41,000)
   New initiative in 2008 to fund 4 sites for Centering Parenting a group interconception education and parenting program.