Illinois isn’t doing a good job of taking care of pregnant mothers and infants, according to a recent report by the March of Dimes. Illinois received a D+ on the report card for pre-term birth and has seen preterm birth rates rise to the highest it has been in 10 years according to the report. As a nation, the U.S. Received an overall grade of C with pre-term birth rates rising for the fourth straight year.
Premature birth and its complications are the largest contributors to infant death in this country and globally. It’s not fine. The pre-term birth rates are culled from the National Center for Health Statistics and the grades are given by the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center. The March of Dimes report also indicated that 22,000 infants die in the U.S. Prior to their first birthday. According to the March of Dimes report, the United States is one of the worst developed nations in the world to give birth in. Statistics provided by the March of Dimes showed that about every 12 hours a woman dies due to complications resulting from pregnancy. The group said more than 60 percent of these deaths were preventable, with thousands of others facing life-threatening health challenges.
According to the Illinois Center Square’s report on the report card, the average cost of preterm birth in Illinois was $67,000 compared to a national average of $64,815. Nationally, at least $1 out of every $3 spent on preterm birth was for non-clinical services such as intervention, education, social services and labor market losses.
The March of Dimes is a nationwide non-profit advocacy group that specializes in health-related issues for pregnant women and infants. You can read the full report in this link.