NORTH BERGEN – Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Township of North Bergen issued a proclamation to the March of Dimes on Nov. 17 recognizing World Prematurity Day, a global movement to raise awareness about the issue of premature birth around the world. The proclamation was presented at the March of Dimes event “Babies, Business and the Bottom Line” at Palisades Medical Center.
Bruce J. Markowitz, president and CEO of Palisades Medical Center and chair for the 2015 March for Babies, and Ed Dougherty, SPHR, CLU, Effective HR, LLC, spoke about the significant cost impact that prematurity has on businesses. The nation spends more than $26 billion annually for health care, special education, and lost productivity related to premature birth.
The March of Dimes is a lead facilitator of the World Prematurity Network, a global coalition of consumer and parent groups working together to raise awareness and prevent premature birth in their countries. More than 15 million babies are born too soon every year, and 1 million die. The U.S. preterm birth rate increased 36 percent between 1980 and 2006, giving us the highest rate of any developed country. Premature birth is the leading cause of death during the first month of life.
Palisades Medical Center is a 2015 sponsor of March for Babies, the March of Dimes’ premier fundraising event. Monies raised from this walk go towards the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
For more information, visit marchofdimes.org.
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