March of Dimes gives West Virginia D for premature births

When babies are born just a few weeks early, their lungs and brains aren’t fully developed.

The grades are based on the preterm birth rate. The only Valley ciy with a higher grade from the March of Dimes is Sacramento, earning a “B” with a rate of 8.3 percent.

Portland, Ore., had the lowest preterm birth rate at about 7 percent, which earned it an “A”.

The March of Dimes is pushing for more women to pay attention to prenatal care and for more employers to offer the right maternity coverage to their employees.

According to health experts, premature babies have high chances of dying in their early days of life, or could experience lifelong health problems. “There are large gaps in the preterm birth rate between communities in our state, and racial and ethnic disparities persist”. Among the nation’s top 100 cities with the most births, St. Louis ranked 94 out of 100 cities.

Only one other state – Vermont – also received an “A”.

“Reaching our goal ahead of schedule is progress, but our work is far from done”, Dr. Jennifer Howse, president of March of Dimes, states in a news release. Worldwide, 15 million babies are born preterm, and almost one million die due to an early birth or its complications. “African Americans also experience the highest infant mortality rate – almost four times higher than the lowest rate in the Asian community”, says Beni Adeniji, March of Dimes Central Valley Division board member and perinatologist at Valley Children’s Hospital.

She says the state is moving in the right direction to reduce premature births.

The March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign is guided by a Steering Committee of six leadership organizations. You can find out your state’s ranking by clicking onto the map at the March of Dimes website. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.