Spectrum Health Women and Infant Services Program receives grant from March of Dimes

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., November 27, 2017– Spectrum Health’s Women and Infant Services Program received a grant from March of Dimes for $11,500. The goal of this project is to decrease smoking rates at the Spectrum Health Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Clinics by providing smoking cessation education and services to pregnant women.

The grant will provide funding to implement the Society for Public Health Education’s Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment Program (SCRIPT). Together, we are dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The clinic serves close to 1,000 pregnant patients annually. Smoking during pregnancy can cause severe birth outcomes and increased mortality rates for both the mother and infant.

With this grant we will train twenty staff members in the SCRIPT cessation program from the following agencies: Spectrum Health Hospital Group including Grand Rapids, Ludington, Big Rapids, United; Healthier Communities; Priority Health; Mercy Health and Catholic Charities of West Michigan.

“We found the current smoking rate during pregnancy among this specific population is 14 percent,” said Kara Hamilton-McGraw, maternal and child health director, March of Dimes for the State of Michigan. “This is six percent higher than the national average. We are grateful our successful fundraising efforts, such as March for Babies, make it possible for us to support meaningful programs at Spectrum Health that can help more babies be born healthy.”

The March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs. For the latest resources and information, visitmarchofdimes.org or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Sarina Gleason
Media Relations
Phone: 517.256.5618
Email: sarina.gleason@corewellhealth.org