[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23551]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       PREMATURITY AWARENESS DAY

 Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise today to draw attention to a 
growing number of premature births in the United States. The March of 
Dimes has declared November 16th Prematurity Awareness Day. This event 
is part of a five-year plan, launched in 2003, to use the combined 
power of awareness, education, and research to significantly decrease 
the number of premature births in the United States.
  The rise in premature births throughout the country and in my own 
State--despite all of our achievements in medicine--is astounding. 
Nationally, more than 480,000 babies were born preterm in 2002. Nearly 
13 percent of Indiana's infants are born preterm and in half of the 
cases, doctors cannot identify the cause. Prematurity is the leading 
cause of infant death in the first month of life. Many of these infants 
will suffer lifelong health problems--such as cerebral palsy, mental 
retardation, chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing loss--and 
some will die. Reducing the number of premature births will improve the 
health of hundreds of thousands of infants born each year.
  Aside from these human costs, the financial cost of caring for 
preterm infants is enormous. The March of Dimes estimates that the 
national hospital bill for infants with a diagnosis of prematurity/low 
birthweight was $13.6 billion in 2001.
  I am pleased to be a cosponsor of S. 1726, the PREEMIE Act, 
legislation that seeks to expand and coordinate research on the 
prevention of preterm birth and the most effective care for babies when 
they are born preterm.
  Senator Lincoln and I have also introduced S. 1734, the Prevent 
Prematurity and Improve Child Health Act, which seeks to improve 
Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program to better 
reflect our current state of knowledge on preterm birth. For example, 
medical research tells us that smoking is a considerable risk factor 
for preterm and low birthweight infants. Our bill takes this knowledge 
and translates it into practice by ensuring that smoking cessation 
services and pharmaceuticals are available for pregnant women enrolled 
in Medicaid.
  My wife Char and I have been long-time volunteers for the March of 
Dimes and I am pleased that they are committing such an enormous amount 
of time, energy and resources into conquering the stubborn problem of 
preterm birth with their five-year Prematurity Campaign. Both of these 
bills have the potential to make a real difference in many lives and I 
hope that our colleagues will consider joining us in this effort.
  I am proud to tell you that the Indiana March of Dimes Chapter has 
many events planned for Prematurity Awareness Day. I commend the March 
of Dimes for its dedication in working toward a day when babies and 
their families no longer have to face the devastating consequences of 
premature birth. I call on my colleagues to join the fight against 
premature birth.
 Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to draw attention to a 
serious issue--the growing number of premature births in the United 
States. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 480,000 
babies were born prematurely--that is, born at less than 37 completed 
weeks of gestation--in 2002. The number of premature births in the 
United States increased 27 percent between 1982 and 2002.
  In my own State of Idaho ten percent of babies born in 2002 were 
preterm, and the rate of preterm births in Idaho has risen 21 percent 
since 1992. The preterm rate for our Native American population was 
12.8 percent and 11 percent in our Hispanic community. In addition, 6.1 
percent of all babies born in Idaho had a low birth weight. It is even 
higher for Hispanic babies--6.9 percent of them are born with low birth 
weight, higher than the national average.
  The March of Dimes has begun to address the issue of prematurity and 
health disparities by funding prenatal education and outreach projects 
in different parts of Idaho. Two projects are in our largest cities, 
Boise and Nampa, and target low-income and low-income Hispanic women 
and one outreach project is on a rural reservation. Finally, the March 
of Dimes is funding a smoking cessation project for pregnant women in 
one of our northern cities, Lewiston.
  The March of Dimes has declared November 16th Prematurity Awareness 
Day. This event is part of a 5-year plan, launched in 2003, to use the 
combined power of awareness, education, and research to significantly 
decrease the number of premature births in the United States. In Idaho 
this week there will be media coverage spotlighting prematurity 
awareness, and pink and blue street lights in downtown Boise for 2 
weeks drawing public attention to the issue. In addition, many 
retailers will be providing free information to shoppers about the 
early warning signs of prematurity.
  Let me share the story of this year's Idaho ambassador family. During 
a routine medical exam, the mother of twins Morgan and Max was placed 
on immediate bed rest due to signs of pre-term labor. Fortunately, when 
Morgan and Max were born 10 weeks early, they received specialized 
medical care at the neonatal intensive care unit and were able to come 
home after just five weeks. Today they are healthy, vibrant toddlers.
  Thanks to research being supported by the March of Dimes, doctors are 
better able to identify signs of preterm labor--a life-saving factor in 
the case of Morgan and Max. Advances made by the March of Dimes in the 
treatment of premature babies--like surfactant therapy--gave these 
twins a good start toward a healthy life.
  The March of Dimes has long been a national leader in the fight for 
infant and child health. I commend the March of Dimes for its 
dedication in working toward a day when babies and their families no 
longer have to face the devastating consequences of premature 
birth.

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