OAHHS Winter/Spring 2017

9 / 28

11
Winter/Spring 2017
earned a “C” grade on the latest March
of Dimes Premature Birth Report
Card amidst widening differences in
prematurity rates across different
races and ethnicities.
The U.S. pre-term birth rate went up
from 9.57 to 9.63 in 2015, according
to final data from the National Center
for Health Statistics (NCHS). Across
the country, pre-term birth rates were
nearly 48 percent higher among black
women and more than 15 percent
higher among American Indian/Alaska
Native women compared to white
women.
“The 2016 March of Dimes Report Card
demonstrates that there is an unfair
burden of premature birth among
specific racial and ethnic groups as well
as geographic areas,” says Dr. Jennifer
L. Howse, president of the March of
Dimes. “The March of Dimes strives
for a world where every baby has a
fair chance, yet we see this is not the
reality for many mothers and babies.
Babies in this country have different
chances of surviving and thriving
simply based on the circumstances of
their birth.” H
503.747.8515JBJoshua Boes
Real estate
Joshua Boes
Real estate