By March of Dimes
For more than 75 years, the March of Dimes has worked towards helping mothers have healthy, full-term babies, and providing information and comfort to families when a child is born too soon or too sick. Each year in New Jersey, 12,000 babies are born prematurely. In order to reduce the rates of preterm and sick babies, the March of Dimes spends 75 cents of every dollar raised to provide grants and programs for research, support, and education, both nationally and locally. Between 2013 and 2014, the March of Dimes invested a total of $1,389,615 in various grants and initiatives in New Jersey.
Research grants were provided to New Jersey hospitals and universities with the goals of developing treatments for mothers and babies, specifically:
$5,000 to Hackensack University Medical Center for its 2013 Perinatal Research Society Annual Meeting;
$300,000 to Rutgers University for developing new drug treatments and behavioral approaches to treat Post Partum Depression;
$320,085 to Rutgers University for developing treatment for defects that cause Schizophrenia and other forms of dysfunction;
$75,000 to Mt. Sinai School of Medicine for developing treatments that speed the development of epidermis in premature infants.
In addition to the research grants, the March of Dimes administers local community grants to offer community services and education for improving babies’ health. In 2014, $589,530 has been provided for local community grants in New Jersey for the following programs:
Breastfeeding in the NICU – Education and support of best-practices to increase the number of mothers who pump and express breast milk, and provide exclusive breast feeding during and after an infant’s stay in the NICU, in order to improve the health outcomes and well being of premature infants.
Centering Pregnancy – Supporting the implementation of group prenatal care at various sites throughout the state. This model demonstrates a reduction in preterm births through assessment, education and support for patients in a group setting.
Quality Improvement Project – The Perinatal Collaborative will work with hospitals from across the state to standardize induction bundles and improve cross-team communication in an effort to reduce the number of cesarean sections and improve outcomes.
Greater Newark Pregnancy Resource Sharing Initiative – An online resource guide for prenatal providers in Newark. Four educational and networking events will be hosted in order to increase knowledge of available services in Greater Newark.
Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait – In an effort to decrease singleton preterm birth rates in African American women in Newark by 15%, grants support sites to increase access to and compliance with care.
Becoming a Mom – Prenatal Education – To provide linguistically and culturally appropriate pre and postnatal care, health education and support to at-risk pregnant women, birth fathers and families. Programs will enhance prenatal care and support services to reduce disparities in preterm births.
Professional Education Programs to be determined.
Statewide Conferences
An additional $100,000 has been allocated for New Jersey Initiatives.
Recipients of the grants for the aforementioned programs and initiatives are as follows:
Capital Health (Breastfeeding in the NICU – Mercer region)
$65,500
Central Jersey Family Health Consortium (Comenzando bien- Hunterdon)
62,500
Children’s Home Society (Body and Soul – Mercer)
29,000
Family Intervention Services (Community Education – Essex)
4000
Health Research and Educational Trust (Statewide)
52,426
Jewish Renaissance Centers (Preconception – Essex)
25,000
The Leaguers (Community Education – Essex)
4000
Newark Beth Israel (Patient Navigator – Essex)
51,000
Newark Community Health Centers (Community Education – Essex)
6000
Newark Community Health Centers (Centering Coordinator – Essex)
60,000
Newark NOW (Community Education – Essex)
4000
The Partnership for Maternal Child Health of Northern New Jersey –
(Resource Sharing Initiative – Essex)
9784
The Partnership for MCH of Northern NJ (Community Education – Essex)
4000
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (Conference – Statewide)
8000
Perinatal Educators Conference – (MCH Conference – Statewide)
5500
Post Polio (Conference – Statewide)
3000
Rowan (CenteringPregnancy – Gloucester)
14,820
Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School – (Patient Navigator – Essex)
55,000
Rutgers School of Public Health – HBWW evaluator
50,000
St. James Social Services (Community Education – Essex)
4000
University Hospital (Community Education – Essex)
12,000
Virtua Memorial – (CenteringPregnancy – Burlington)
50,000
Various professional education programs to be determined
10,000
NICU Family Support Capital Health Initiative 70,000
Advocacy Initiatives 30,000
“Funding research is the heart and soul of why we raise funds in New Jersey. We could not fulfill our mission without the commitment of the community agencies we provide grants to. They are on the front line each and every day, providing excellent programs and services for mothers and babies,” said Addy Bonet, State Director for the New Jersey March of Dimes Chapter.
