WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici today announced his cosponsorship of the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Act which will fund expanded research and studies into causes and prevention of premature births.
The PREEMIE Act (S.707) will allow researchers at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the health and economic consequences of preterm births including the impact on maternal health, quality of life, family employment and other social and financial burdens.
“Premature births and low birth weight are the leading causes of death among infants and often cause life-long health and developmental problems. This funding will help researchers understand why these events occur in the first place. It will also make more parents aware of prematurity risks,” Domenici said.
The PREEMIE Act will also fund the National Children’s Study to examine biological, social and cultural influences on the health and well-being of children from before birth until age 21.
The Senate bill was introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and a companion bill has been introduced in the House by Representatives Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.). It was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
According to The March of Dimes, premature births nationwide increased 13 percent between 1992 and 2002. The rate of New Mexico premature births jumped from to 12.6 percent in 2002 from 10.6 percent a decade earlier.
For more about the signs and symptoms and the risks of prematurity, visit www.marchofdimes.com or a Spanish Web site www.nacersano.org.
