Statement by Edward R.B. McCabe, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the March of Dimes White Plains, NY | Thursday, June 02, 2016 For the first time in eight years, the national preterm birth rate has increased rather than decreased, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The 2015 preliminary preterm birth rate for the … Read More
Forget Me Not Support Group offers connection for mothers
By Brooke Thibodaux |Friday, May 6th 2016 | WCHS-TV News CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — Losing a child is undesirable for any parent. Losing a child during pregnancy can be isolating for the mother. There is a Facebook support group of local moms who are working to change the conversation and help each other. Eyewitness News met with one of those … Read More
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep captures last moments of still-borns for parents
By Brooke Thibodaux |Friday, May 6th 2016| WCHS-TV News CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — No parent plans to lose their child, but for some their worst fear becomes a reality. One nonprofit organization, named after a classic bed time prayer, is helping parents capture moments they can never get back. Eyewitness News shares the story of the Johns family. Erica and … Read More
Education, public health organizations & others join calls for $1 cigarette tax hike
By Shauna Johnson in News (WV MetroNews) | April 28, 2016 at 1:16PM CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An increase of at least $1 to the state tax on a pack of cigarettes could make the difference for West Virginia’s physical and fiscal health, according to representatives from a coalition of West Virginia education, public health and faith-based community organizations. As state budget … Read More
Advocates make renewed call for $1 tobacco tax increase
By Lydia Nuzum, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail Thursday, April 28, 2016 Proponents of a $1 increase in West Virginia’s tobacco tax said Thursday that the struggling proposal is a “no-brainer” for the state with some of the highest rates of smoking among both teens and adults and an existing tax lower than that of 45 other states. On Thursday, a … Read More
WV Tobacco tax proponents say measure will save money
By Rusty Marks Posted: Apr 28, 2016 2:29 PM EDT Updated: Apr 28, 2016 3:23 PM EDT West Virginia will save tens of millions of dollars in medical costs if lawmakers increase the taxes on tobacco products, local health care providers say. Members of the policy research group West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy and local health care providers … Read More
Pass the Buck: Pregnancy Care Providers Want WV to Up Tobacco Tax
Dan Heyman, Public News Service – WV April 29, 2016 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia pregnancy-care providers want lawmakers to “pass the buck” by raising the state cigarette tax by $1 a pack. With a big hole in the state budget, the $150 million more a year in tobacco revenue looks appealing. But doctors here also hope to reduce the … Read More
Controversial Fetal Assault Law Discontinued by TN Lawmakers
From NPR, “A small but pivotal group of Tennessee representatives voted Tuesday to discontinue one of the state’s most divisive criminal laws. Known as “fetal assault,” the measure empowered prosecutors to arrest women who abuse heroin or pain pills during pregnancy, if their babies were born dependent. A one-of-a-kind statute that criminalized drug use by pregnant women is now on … Read More
Senate advances bill to aid drug-dependent newborns
From Reuters, “A bipartisan bill designed to improve the health and safety of babies born to mothers who used heroin or other opioids during pregnancy was approved by a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday. …Reuters found 110 cases of children who were exposed to opioids while in the womb and who later died preventable deaths at home. No more than nine states comply … Read More
Shaken baby syndrome in WV more common than we think
From the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “After a father allegedly shook his son and caused bleeding on the 4-month-old’s brain last weekend, health experts said the way to prevent the next occurrence won’t be by pretending such a traumatic incident can only happen to other families. …Dr. Sharon Istfan, associate chief medical officer at Charleston Area Medical Center’s Women and Children’s Hospital, … Read More