ASTHO Congratulates States for Reducing Preterm Birth Rates

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Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Jun 04, 2013, 09:12 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) congratulates the health agencies in Colorado, Delaware, Maine, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wyoming, each of whom will receive awards from the March of Dimes for reaching meaningful milestones in their efforts to reduce preterm births.

Maine and Oregon will receive the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Prematurity Campaign Leadership Award for lowering their preterm birth rates below 9.6 percent of all live births. Colorado, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, and Wyoming will receive the Virginia Apgar Prematurity Campaign Leadership Award as each state lowered its preterm birth rate by more than 8 percent since 2009. According to the March of Dimes, nearly 4,500 fewer babies were born preterm in those seven states, potentially saving more than $230 million in healthcare and societal costs.

A year ago, the state health officials in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico agreed to the ASTHO's Healthy Babies President's Challenge issued by then-ASTHO President David Lakey, MD (Commissioner, Texas State Department of Health Services), and 51 state and territorial health officials signed a pledge to, among other things, work on reducing the preterm birth rates in their states by 8 percent compared to 2009. ASTHO worked with the March of Dimes, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and the National Public Health Information Coalition on this effort.

Maine and Oregon join previous Roosevelt Award recipients New Hampshire and Vermont. Previous Apgar Award recipients are Alaska and Vermont.

"These awards reflect the dedication of state health officials, healthcare organizations, and maternity care providers throughout these states. We congratulate them on the work they have done to help babies," says Jennifer L. Howse, MD, president of the March of Dimes.

If every state meets the challenge of reducing preterm birth by 8 percent, the March of Dimes estimates 40,000 more babies will have a healthier start in life, saving approximately $2 billion in healthcare and socio-economic costs.

"I strongly commend the work of those states that have achieved these awards," says ASTHO Executive Director Paul E. Jarris, MD, MBA, "and I know with the remarkable work being done to reduce premature births that more states will be joining this list. This progress shows that when infant health becomes a leadership priority, significant progress is possible and families and babies benefit."

Michael Fraser, MD, CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, says "The reductions in preterm birth seen in Colorado, Delaware, Maine, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wyoming are commendable and directly contribute to the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant goal of reducing infant mortality nationwide. We celebrate this public health success and want to continue to learn from and work with all states to reduce preterm birth and help more babies reach their first birthday."

For more on ASTHO's 2012 Healthy Babies President's Challenge, see www.astho.org/healthybabies. For more on the March of Dimes' Prematurity Campaign, see http://www.marchofdimes.com. This announcement is being released in conjunction with the March of Dimes' press release: "Seven States Achieve Substantial Reduction in Preterm Birth."

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in state-based public health practice. Web: www.astho.org; Twitter: @ASTHO.

SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials