SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 10

(By Senators Prezioso, Unger, Boley, Love, Rowe, Helmick, Oliverio, Smith, Bowman, McCabe, Hunter, Minear, Fanning, Caldwell, White, Minard, Jenkins, Edgell, Plymale, Sharpe, Kessler, Ross, Bailey, Dempsey, Facemyer, McKenzie, Sprouse, Snyder, Tomblin, Mr. President, and Chafin)



Recognizing the many contributions of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation to the State of West Virginia, including its campaign to reduce premature births with the expansion of the West Virginia Birth Defects Surveillance System.

Whereas, The March of Dimes, founded in 1938, is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing both birth defects and infant mortality through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies; and
Whereas, Because premature birth is the leading cause of neonatal death, the March of Dimes is investing $75 million to launch a five-year campaign to develop a coordinated national response to the serious and widespread problem of premature births. In addition to mortality, preterm birth is a major determinant of illness and disability among infants, including development delays, chronic respiratory problems and vision and hearing impairments; and
Whereas, According to the March of Dimes, West Virginia preterm birth rates increased by 28 percent in the last decade and the rates of low birth-weight births have also steadily increased statewide from 6.8 percent in 1991 to 8.4 percent in 2000; and
Whereas, Nationally, the March of Dimes and its allied partners hope to reduce preterm births by at least 15 percent and hope to reduce the number of children born with birth defects through researching causes and prevention tools, as well as eliminating barriers to adequate prenatal health care coverage; and
Whereas, Surveillance is needed to monitor infant health and the incidence of birth defects and to identify communities and populations especially at risk. State-based birth defects surveillance systems help health officials assess needs, deliver services and assess the progress of prevention programs; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate hereby recognizes the many contributions of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation to the State of West Virginia, including its campaign to reduce the number of premature births with the expansion of the West Virginia Birth Defects Surveillance System; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the appropriate representatives of the West Virginia state chapter of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.