Where is march of dimes

We're glad you're here. March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. Building on a successful year legacy, we support every pregnant person and every family. March of Dimes, a not-for-profit, section c 3. Privacy, Terms, and Notices , Cookie Settings.

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Advocacy highlights Advocacy is vital to March of Dimes to persuade policymakers to pass laws and regulations that promote the health of women, babies and families. Local leadership. Contact us to find out how to get involved. Return to website. I'M IN. Many March of Dimes-funded initiatives for improving the health of mothers and babies in the USA have benefitted populations around the world. For example, during the s, March of Dimes medical director Dr.

Virginia Apgar developed the APGAR score, a system to help health professionals evaluate the physical condition of babies at birth.

Today, the APGAR score is used worldwide and serves as a universally understood initial assessment tool to determine the health of a newborn. Like Dr. Apgar, numerous other March of Dimes grantees over the years have paved the way to advances in research and care for affected children. Through determining the underlying causes of certain birth defects and identifying the risk factors associated with them, the March of Dimes promotes strategies for birth defects prevention.

The March of Dimes believes that every baby should receive the best care possible to help them achieve their best health. It is this belief that led us to become a prominent voice in advocacy for the creation and expansion of uniform newborn screening programs [ 2 ] to detect metabolic disorders and other conditions not visible at birth that may cause catastrophic health problems or death if not diagnosed and treated immediately.

Although early diagnosis and care of affected children are essential, the March of Dimes remains a strong proponent of efforts for prevention of birth defects. Two landmark reports published by the March of Dimes and partners have shown that the burden of birth defects [ 1 ] and premature birth [ 4 ] is specifically high in low- and middle-income countries of the world.

Similarly, studies [ 5 ] have shown that babies in the USA have different chances of surviving and thriving simply based on the circumstances of their birth, i. Our goal is ensure that every baby gets a fair chance for a healthy start in life. When the March of Dimes initiated its mission to prevent birth defects, few people realized the scope or complexity of the problem.

However, knowledge rapidly expanded through conferences sponsored by the March of Dimes to foster exchanges among researchers and scientists from diverse disciplines. The March of Dimes provided support for research and medical services in previously unexplored areas, such as the study of human chromosomes.

In , the March of Dimes gave a grant to James D. The pair won the Nobel Prize in and paved the way for modern genetic medicine, including the mapping of the human genome. The March of Dimes also established a network of birth defects centers in university and teaching hospitals around the country to provide, for the first time, early diagnosis and comprehensive care for babies born with birth defects.

In the early s, March of Dimes grant funding enabled Dr. Robert Guthrie, who had developed the first newborn blood test for PKU phenylketonuria , to produce a mass screening test for the disorder. Today, every baby born in every state in the USA receives screening for a uniform panel of conditions that can be treated soon after birth to prevent intellectual disability or death. In , the March of Dimes published the first Birth Defects Atlas and Compendium, which standardized the names and descriptions of birth defects.

Also in the s, the March of Dimes initiated a regional system of neonatal intensive care units NICUs in which babies with birth defects or born prematurely could receive the best care. Other notable accomplishments by researchers funded by the March of Dimes included the first report showing that drinking alcohol during pregnancy could cause fetal alcohol syndrome and the development of surfactant therapy for babies born with immature lungs that has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands.

Also in the early s, the March of Dimes launched a new office of public affairs in Washington, DC, to coordinate advocacy for state and US federal legislation to further prevention, education, and care for babies with birth defects. While pursuing a robust national policy agenda for birth defects prevention and care, the March of Dimes sought to raise public consciousness on birth defects and teach known ways of prevention.

The organization placed public service announcements in popular magazines and published dozens of informational materials.

In the early s, the March of Dimes launched its first program for advancing the overall health of women and babies. This program has evolved into other educational offerings for women in the workplace available today. In , US Public Health Service recommended that all women of childbearing age capable of becoming pregnant consume micrograms of folic acid daily to reduce their risk for having a baby affected by an NTD.

Following that, the March of Dimes launched its first national campaign urging women to take a multivitamin containing folic acid every day.

Providing education for women, health care providers and the public to urge compliance with folic acid consumption guidelines for reducing risk of NTDs was the main focus of the campaign, which ran from to Building on this momentum, the March of Dimes and its partner organizations advocated for folic acid fortification of enriched grain products. After tremendous successes with campaigns for birth defects prevention, the March of Dimes decided to launch a new campaign to decrease the rate of preterm birth in the USA in This Prematurity Campaign supports research, education, community service, and advocacy initiatives—the same strategies that yielded so many discoveries and advances for birth defects prevention.

More than 75, families in the USA each year are helped by this program. The March of Dimes commitment to birth defects prevention is such that we are always responsive to emerging challenges.

For example, after the first article appeared in The New York Times on December 28, , [ 8 ] calling attention to the Zika virus and its threat to pregnancy, the March of Dimes decided it was time to inform women and men of childbearing age and the general public about a possible Zika virus epidemic. Educational information was developed for consumers and made available widely on our websites at www.

Health information specialists at the March of Dimes answered email queries about Zika infection and promoted prevention messages via social media.

Working closely with the CDC and many other partners, the March of Dimes continues to promote Zika virus prevention while helping to develop information about services for families affected by Zika. In , the March of Dimes decided to extend its mission globally through formation of a Global Programs Department. Although the March of Dimes does not have any international offices or staff in any other countries outside the USA, it is well-known and well-respected worldwide for its contributions to prevention of birth defects and premature birth.

Additionally, we have supported and engaged local academic institutions in low-and middle-income countries to advance the health of women and girls through preconception health activities [ 9 ]. One of the major contributions of the March of Dimes globally was to bring to light the high worldwide toll of birth defects through the publication in of the first-ever country-level estimates of serious birth defects of genetic origin with data from countries [ 1 ].

This report has served to advance engagement of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in addressing the widely neglected issue of birth defects. Recognizing the need to build capacity in lower-income countries for prevention and care related to birth defects, in , March of Dimes began sponsoring a biennial International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World.