Mat-Su Regional, March of Dimes give babies a healthy start

PALMER — Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and Central Peninsula Hospital are the only Alaska hospitals participating in the March of Dimes 39-week initiative to promote awareness of the healthy outcomes associated with keeping babies in utero until 39 weeks gestation.

The two are among 100 hospitals nationwide working to implement the March of Dimes 39+ Weeks Quality Improvement Service Package, which helps hospitals develop and implement policies and procedures to reduce medically unnecessary (elective) inductions and cesarean deliveries scheduled before 39 weeks of pregnancy.

As part of the Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait initiative, the community is invited to hear Dr. Eugene Toy’s best practices workshop from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., June 5.

“Every week of pregnancy is critical to a baby’s health,” said Dr. Scott Berns, senior vice president and deputy medical director for the March of Dimes. “I commend Mat-Su Regional for being a champion for babies. Through this partnership, we will reduce the number of early elective deliveries and give more babies a healthy start in life.”

Worldwide, 15 million babies are born too soon each year and more than 1 million of those infants die as a result of their early births. Babies who survive an early birth often face the risk of lifelong health challenges, such as breathing problems, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and others. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants.

Recent research by the March of Dimes, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that although the overall threat is small, the risk of death more than doubles for infants born at 37 weeks of pregnancy when compared to babies born at 40 weeks, for all races and ethnicities.

“We’re proud to partner with the March of Dimes to give more babies a healthy start in life,” said John Lee, CEO of Mat-Su Regional, “And, we’re proud of our expert team of physicians and nurses and the work they are doing to avoid scheduling elective inductions or caesarean deliveries before 39 weeks of pregnancy.”

The quality improvement service package is part of the March of Dimes Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of a full-term pregnancy and also is being backed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists through a new federal program called Strong Start.

For more information about the Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait campaign, visit marchofdimes.com/39weeks and youtube.com/watch?v=T6XcWBcaliA.

For more information about Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, visit MatSuRegional.com.