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48 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico Are Pledging to Reduce Premature Birth
Fully produced report in:
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(86 seconds)
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
(OPEN):
48 STATES--PLUS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND PUERTO RICO--HAVE
PLEDGED THEIR SUPPORT TO GIVE MORE BABIES A HEALTHY START IN LIFE, BY
REDUCING BOTH PREMATURE BIRTH AND INFANT-MORTALITY--ACCORDING TO THE
MARCH OF DIMES, AND THE ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND
TERRITORIAL HEALTH OFFICIALS. THE GOAL IS TO DECREASE THE
RATE OF PREMATURE BIRTH, IN EACH STATE, BY EIGHT-PERCENT--BY 2014.
THE PLEDGE HAS BEEN CHAMPIONED BY THE ASSOCIATION'S PRESIDENT,
DOCTOR DAVID LAKEY [AS IN "LAKE"]...
(LAKEY):
"I'M REALLY
PLEASED TO SEE MY COLLEAGUES AT STATE- AND TERRITORIAL-HEALTH-AGENCIES,
ACROSS OUR COUNTRY, EMBRACE THIS CHALLENGE. TOGETHER, WE ARE
MAKING CHANGES THAT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT FAMILIES, BY IMPROVING
BIRTH-OUTCOMES. ALL BABIES DESERVE A HEALTHY BEGINNING--AND WE OWE
IT TO MOTHERS-TO-BE TO DO WHAT WE CAN, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN."
(BRIDGE):
NEARLY HALF-A-MILLION BABIES IN THE U-S--OR JUST UNDER
12-PERCENT--ARE BORN TOO SOON, EACH YEAR. IT'S THE LEADING CAUSE
OF NEWBORN-DEATH--AND BABIES WHO SURVIVE AN EARLY BIRTH OFTEN FACE THE
RISK OF LIFETIME HEALTH-CHALLENGES. JENNIFER HOWSE [LIKE
"HOUSE"] IS THE MARCH OF DIMES' PRESIDENT...
(HOWSE):
"IF EACH STATE
MEETS THE EIGHT-PERCENT CHALLENGE, IT WOULD MEAN THAT, EACH YEAR,
40-THOUSAND MORE BABIES HAVE A HEALTHY START IN LIFE. MEETING THIS
GOAL WOULD LOWER THE NATION'S PRETERM-BIRTH RATE TO ABOUT
11-PERCENT--AND WOULD SAVE ABOUT TWO-BILLION DOLLARS, EACH YEAR,
IN HEALTHCARE-COSTS."
(CLOSE):
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
"A-S-T-H-O"-DOT-ORG-SLASH-"HEALTHY-BABIES".
