mwallace@marchofdimes.com

Mike Noble
Fletcher Allen Health Care
802-847-2886

milner.noble@vtmednet.org

March of Dimes announces partnership with Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care

(BURLINGTON,VT, NOVEMBER 14, 2006)--As part of National Prematurity Awareness Day, the March of Dimes today announced a partnership with Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care to implement a family support program for the Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU).  March of Dimes NICU Family Support provides information and comfort to families of premature babies and other critically ill newborns being cared for in a NICU.

"Preparing for a new baby is a time of great excitement," said Kathy Keleher, chair of the March of Dimes Vermont chapter. "Families don't expect anything to go wrong, but about 1 in 10 newborns wind up in a NICU because they are born too soon, too small or with a birth defect. The experience can be overwhelming for families.  NICU Family Support aims to make the journey through newborn intensive care smoother and less traumatic for families."

The project is an important component of the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, a nationwide effort to address the growing problem of premature birth, which is the leading cause of newborn death and a major cause of serious health problems. It costs society billions of dollars every year. The March of Dimes is also funding research to find the causes of premature birth.

It is estimated that 10 percent of all newborns require some level of intensive care. In FY2006  426 newborns stayed in the Vermont Children's Hospital NICU, some for hours and some for months.

In 2004, NICU Family Support became a signature project of the March of Dimes and rolled out to additional NICUs across the country. At the end of 2006 there will be 39 NICU Family Support sites nationwide. The project aims to be in at least 50 NICUs and to support over 35,000 families by 2007.

"The March of Dimes selected Vermont Children's Hospital at Fletcher Allen as its partner for NICU Family Support because of its reputation for excellence and the quality care it provides to babies," Keleher said. "Vermont Children's Hospital does incredible work every day to care for sick babies and their families. We want to support their efforts."

"We are excited to partner with the March of Dimes to implement NICU Family Support and are looking forward to this collaborative effort to support parents throughout their stay with us," said Roger Soll, M.D., director of the NICU at Fletcher Allen.  "This is a wonderful opportunity to work with graduate NICU parents and staff to develop programs specific to the needs of our families."

Incorporating NICU families into every level of the project, March of Dimes NICU Family Support addresses the needs of families throughout the hospitalization, during the transition home, and in the event of a newborn death.  NICU Family Support also includes a professional development component to provide hospital NICU staff with support and educational opportunities.  The project will be led by a March of Dimes staff person who has professional NICU experience or experience as a NICU parent.  An advisory committee made up of graduate NICU parents and NICU professionals will be involved in selecting activities and providing direct services to current NICU families.  Each NICU family will receive a March of Dimes Parent Care Kit including informational books and materials to record their baby's milestones.

Nationally, March of Dimes NICU Family Support receives multi-year funding from MedImmune, Inc., Children's Medical Ventures/Respironics, and Scholastic, Inc.  Additional support is provided by Dey, L.P. In Vermont financial support is also being provided by the Postl Family Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation, Northfield Savings Bank Foundation, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Merchant's Bank, Pizzagalli Foundation, Oakland Foundation and IDX Systems Corporation.

About Fletcher Allen Health Care

Fletcher Allen Health Care, in alliance with the University of Vermont College of Medicine, is Vermont's only academic health center and is one of 125 in the country. Fletcher Allen also serves as the community hospital for the greater Burlington area. Fletcher Allen has more than 6,000 employees and serves one million people in Vermont and northern New York through more than 40 patient care sites and 100 outreach clinics.

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org.