November is Prematurity Awareness Month and no one is working harder to find answers than the March of Dimes. Each year on November 1, the March of Dimes releases a report card to measure progress in reducing preterm births for our country and each state. In 2016, the March of Dimes has downgraded New Mexico from a B to a C grade in the Report Card as a result of an increase in the preterm birth rate from 9.2 percent in 2014 to 9.5 percent in 2015. The U.S. preterm birth rate increased for the first time in eight years, resulting in a grade of “C” for the country as a whole.
Despite promising programs and some localized improvements, this year’s report shows additional steps need to be taken in New Mexico to give more babies a healthy start to life. The issue of preterm birth has become too commonplace and too accepted across our state.
The report also revealed an underlying problem: There is an unfair burden of premature birth among racial and ethnic groups as well as geographic areas. March of Dimes ranks and tracks state progress toward the elimination of racial/ethnic disparities in preterm birth with New Mexico ranked toward the bottom at 30, down significantly from last year’s ranking of 9.
While the March of Dimes strives for a world where every baby has a fair chance, this is not the reality for many mothers and babies in New Mexico. For example, among the counties in New Mexico where the most babies are born, rates range from 7.8 percent in San Juan County to 10.2 percent in Lea County. Among black women in New Mexico, the preterm birth rate is 42 percent higher than the rate among all other women in the state.
The March of Dimes supports eight interventions that when implemented in the most challenged communities can help reduce the preterm birth rate. Prevention opportunities are strengthened through programs such as The Coming of the Blessing and Becoming a Mom/Comenzando Bien in New Mexico that provide prenatal education for Native American and Latina women through home visits and group education. This approach helps to reach underserved and often rural communities by taking resources to them. Partnering with organizations like MECA Therapies, LLC will also help bring awareness and resources to rural and underserved communities in our state.
With broader awareness and implementation of programs like these in New Mexico, we can achieve March of Dimes’ goal to lower the preterm birth rate to 8.1 by 2020. America leads the world in medical research and care, yet the U.S. preterm birth rate still ranks among the worst of high resource nations. This is unacceptable, but fixable. Our immediate actions will help give all babies a better tomorrow.
Visit marchofdimes where you can explore prematurity and disparity in your own county; sign up to raise awareness on World Prematurity Day on Nov. 17, and support programs and groundbreaking research attacking the causes of prematurity.
Becky D. Horner
Executive Director,
Southern NM and El Paso
March of Dimes
