Connecting parents of premature newborns with the support they need

DR. ALLISON BURKETT :: Mother of premature twins, Atlanta, Georgia

WellPoint is committed to improving the health of our communities. Our State Health Index targets specific public health improvements in the states we serve. To that end, the WellPoint Foundation, Inc. recently launched a multigenerational initiative called Healthy Generations. One objective is to reduce the incidence of premature births.

For example, through its affiliate Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, LLC, WellPoint supports the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign. One component of the campaign is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Family Support® Program, which comforts and educates the families of premature and other critically ill newborns being cared for in the NICU.

When Dr. Allison Burkett, a surgeon in Atlanta, prematurely gave birth to twins on October 4, 2006, each infant weighed less than three pounds. Dr. Burkett is now a parent member of the Chapter NICU Advisory Council (CNAC), which is helping to develop the NICU Family Support Program at Atlanta Medical Center. “The biggest battle you face as the parent of a preemie is going home without your baby,” Dr. Burkett said. “To have an individual who can serve as an advocate, a liaison, and an educator to offer some consistency and help you parent from afar, is extremely valuable.”

“We are thrilled to have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation join us in the fight against premature birth,” said Mark Gibson, state director for the March of Dimes Georgia Chapter. “In Georgia, premature birth is the number-one killer of newborns. By helping to fund important research and education, the March of Dimes and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation can help give every baby a fighting chance.”

 

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