Alliteration for public health: Importance of public-private partnerships for Policy and Prevention of Preterm Birth

Prematurity is the leading cause of neonatal death, and babies born prematurely can have disabilities such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, blindness or deafness. March of Dimes and its partners (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Pediatrics, and Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses) initiated a national campaign in 2003 to increase awareness of the problem of prematurity and to decrease the rate of preterm birth (PTB). Research, education, advertising and publicity, and increasing access to health care were the initial strategies employed to accomplish the goals of the campaign and they remain in effect. At mid-campaign, awareness about the seriousness of the problem of prematurity has increased, but so has the rate of PTB. The preliminary 2005 PTB rate was 12.7%, representing over 520,000 babies; half of these births were due to spontaneous preterm labor with no known cause. To help reduce the rate of PTB, March of Dimes is intensifying it efforts establishing new private-public partnerships to develop policy and prevent preventable PTB. An update on the PREEMIE (Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early) bill and its provisions of partnerships, research, education and policy will be presented. An overview of our expanded partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute and the addition of the Kentucky Department for Public Health to focus on preventable preterm birth in select areas of Kentucky will also be provided. Practical steps in developing public-private partnerships for improving public health will be summarized.