Pregnant Bellies
Reducing the rate of preterm birth is one of our top priorities at March of Dimes. Everything we do reflects that.
This May, our Greater Oregon Chapter awarded $69,500 in community grants–all with a single mission: prematurity prevention. The grants, all focused on the Centering Pregnancy group model of care, are in effect for one year.
Centering Pregnancy is an emerging model of interactive, group care which has been shown to significantly reduce the rate of preterm birth among participants. In fact, a study published in 2007 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that group prenatal care reduced preterm birth rates by 33% among participants and showed as much as a 60% reduction in African-American women, who are at greater risk of preterm birth.
The $69,500 of grant awards will be split between four organizations to support the Centering Pregnancy model of prenatal care:
- Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene
- Emanuel Medical Center Foundation in Portland
- Salem Hospital Foundation in Salem
- Salem Nurse Midwives, Inc. in Salem
