Blazing Trails for Babies

/

 Yessenia Simpi's son, Luis Alfonso, weighed only 1 lb, 15 oz. when he was born. The March of Dimes funds research to help premature babies and promote newborn health.

Whether you walk on the County’s team, donate to a participating co-worker or organize a fundraiser, your support of the March of Dimes make a difference in the community.

But do you know what the nonprofit does? Or where the money it raises goes? 

The 75-year-old organization has a long and distinguished history of working to improve the health of mothers and babies--and being at the forefront in doing so. Turns out, the March of Dimes has funded some of the biggest medical advances of the 20th and 21st centuries. Research it helped fund has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes.

The County has been one of its biggest supporters in the region, raising $538,718 over the past 10 years through fundraising campaigns. Last year, the County employees collected $42,194.

Hundreds of County employees are expected to walk again this year in the March of Dimes' biggest annual fundraiser, the March for Babies. When it began in 1970, the event was the first charitable walk held in the U.S. The 5K walk happens every spring and is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 13 in Oceanside and Saturday, April 27 at Balboa Park. To register for one of the events or make a donation to your group’s team, visit the March for Babies page on InSite.

Founded by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, the March of Dimes' original mission was to end the polio epidemic. With that goal achieved by the 1950s, the nonprofit’s focus shifted to discovering the genetic causes of birth defects. It also worked to promote newborn screenings and educate medical staffs and the public on healthy pregnancies. The March of Dimes supported research for surfactant therapy to treat newborn’s respiratory problems, helped initiate a system of regional neonatal intensive care for premature and sick babies and helped dramatically reduce birth defects by encouraging mothers-to-be to take folic acid.

Over the past 10 years, the March of Dimes has focused on preventing the increasing problem of premature births. It launched a multi-year campaign to raise awareness and research the causes. According to the March of Dimes website, the rate of premature births in the U.S. has risen by 36 percent over the past 25 years. Each year, nearly half a million babies, or one in nine, are born too soon.

In San Diego and Imperial Counties in the past year, nearly 8,900 pregnant women received late or no prenatal care. Of the 47,910 babies born, more than 9 percent were born pre-term.

In an effort to prevent such premature births, the March of Dimes funds research to look for its causes. The organization also supports legislation to improve care for moms and babies.

Among the nonprofit’s initiatives making a difference locally:

  • A three-year grant totaling almost $150,000 called the Scripps Mercy Family Practice Residency Program aimed at improving perinatal care for underserved women in the border region.  The grant helps provide education and clinical services to pregnant Latina women in South County. Women receive home visits after their babies are born.
  • A $2,660 grant to help La Maestra Community Health Centers purchase educational materials and resources for a program in central San Diego. The program provides prenatal health education classes to 200 low income women each year.
  • An investment of $500,000 for research by two scientists at the Salk Institute and UCSD to prevent heart defects.
  • A commitment of more than $75,000,000 in support of the Salk Institute since its inception in 1960.

 For more information or to participate, visit the March of Dimes page on InSite.