On Thursday, November 5, the March of Dimes, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health (DHH), will be uniting the medical community and many maternal and child health stakeholders from across the state of Louisiana to evaluate the biggest threat to the health of newborns - premature birth.
Premature birth is the leading cause of infant death. The 2015 Prematurity Prevention Summit will feature presentations on perinatal quality collaboratives to improve birth outcomes, maternal quality improvement initiatives to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, and best practices to reduce infant mortality in local communities. In addition, the March of Dimes will release its 2015 Premature Birth Report Card; which, for the first time, will grade preterm births in United States cities in addition to the state grades on preterm birth.
The summit will include an impressive lineup of local and national speakers (see full agenda below) including Dr. Elliott Main of the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative; Dr. Michael Marcotte, a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist with the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative; Dr. Debra Bingham of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses; and Sue Gullo of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. There will also be presentations from the Louisiana Department of Health including LDH Secretary Kathy Kliebert and LDH Medicaid Medical Director, Dr. Rebekah Gee. The summit will also feature a panel discussion addressing current priorities and initiatives in Louisiana led by Dr. Joseph Bocchini, Jr. Chairman of the March of Dimes Louisiana State Programs Committee and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics for LSUHSC - Shreveport.
The 2015 Prematurity Prevention Summit will kick-off Prematurity Awareness Month for the March of Dimes. Each year in November, the March of Dimes works to create awareness for the number one health threat to our babies - premature birth. In Louisiana, one in seven babies are born prematurely and nearly 550 newborns die before their first birthday. Other activities will include the release of the 2015 Premature Birth Report Card; which will take place on November 5 and World Prematurity Day on November 17.
March of Dimes would like to recognize AmeriHealth Caritas Louisiana as our 2015 Statewide Prematurity Prevention Sponsor; and Hologic, Amerigroup Louisiana, United Healthcare Community Plan and Aetna Better Health of Louisiana as our 2015 Prematurity Prevention Summit gold sponsors. To register, visit www.marchofdimes.org/louisiana.
Putting Louisiana Moms and Babies First - 2015 Prematurity Prevention Summit Schedule:
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8:00 a.m. |
Registration and Continental Breakfast |
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8:30 a.m. |
Welcome and Opening Remarks Makesha Judson, MPA - State Director of Program Services and Government Affairs, March of Dimes Louisiana Chapter Secretary Kathy Kliebert |
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8:50 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. |
Release of the 2015 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card Kenneth E. Brown, MD - Board Member Louisiana Perinatal Data Lyn Kieltyka, PhD, MPH, Senior MCH Epidemiologist |
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9:05 a.m. - 9:35 a.m. |
Louisiana Accomplishments for Improving Perinatal Outcomes
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9:35 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. |
Statewide Initiatives to Improve Quality Elliott Main, M.D. Chairman and Chief of Obstetrics, California Pacific Medical Center Medical Director, California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative |
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10:35 a.m. - 11:20 a.m. |
Improving Perinatal Outcomes through Perinatal Quality Collaboratives: Case Study of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Project and 17P Project Michael P. Marcotte, MD |
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11:35 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Break and Pick up Lunch |
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12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
"What We Can Accomplish if We Work Together to Prevent Prematurity" Seated Lunch - Panel Moderated by: Joseph Bocchini, Jr. MD
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1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Breakout Session |
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Breakout Room 326 |
Kick-off for Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM): Improving Maternal Health and Safety in Louisiana Elliott Main, M.D. Project Lead: Michelle Alletto, LDH and Rebekah Gee, MD, LDH |
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Main Conference Room |
Creating Local efforts to collaborate and drive down Infant Mortality Michael P. Marcotte, MD Engaging the work of local maternal and child health organizations and municipalities to reduce infant mortality |
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3:00 p.m. |
Text4Babies Chloe Lake, MPH Health Education and Communication Specialist, Bureau of Family Health, DHH |
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3:15 p.m. |
Closing Session: What We Have Learned at the Summit? What Comes Next? How do we continue our Work to Reduce Prematurity? Joseph Bocchini, Jr. MD - Chair, March of Dimes Program Services Committee Next Steps to informing, advancing and leveraging strategic partnerships towards reducing prematurity and improving birth outcomes in Louisiana |
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4:00 p.m. |
End of Summit |
About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading non-profit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, pre-mature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.org/louisiana or nacersano.org.
About the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
The Louisiana Department of Health strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about LDH, visit www.dhh.louisiana.gov. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow LDH's Twitter account and Facebook.