good morning. this is "news4 your sunday." >> hello. aim pat lawson muse. it is a wake-up callç for moths an their babies. pre-term birth is a national health crisis that has grown worse for the second year in a row. according to the 10h1jáu(s march of dimes premature birth report card, many factors drive the cries ills. we will talk about those this morning and programs that the march of dimes has to address the issues. tina kabuchi is executive director for the march of dimes. and gabriella garcia serves on the march of dimes maternal child health committee, also with providence health center for life. thank you for being with us thiç morning. >> thank you. >> it a

 in a row seeing an increase in these numbers when prior to that you were seeing steady improvement in the numbers? tina? >> there's a lot of reasons, and the march of dimes is working to discover what those reasons are. but we are focused on, you know, access to care, making sure women get great prenatal care. also, the age that women are having their children and making sure that we are delivering the best care for women and the age that they're having their czildren. >> gabriella, there are different stages of a preterm pregnancy but all carry risks. the same question to you about, you çknow, kbr we're seeing an seeing a rick to these babies? >> babies can be born at 24 weeks and we see a lot of babies at 24 weeks in nicu but we have a goal f

reach 40 weeks. the development of the brain, the development of the babies lungs keep going to the end of your pregnancy. i think what ear 'seewe're seeir community is while there may be a couple of different programs doing wonderful work, we don't have a system of care that takes care of the myriad o#ç needs tht women have, whether they're advanced maternal age moms now or teen mom or a mom in her 20s, you may need smoking cessation programs or help with housing or food stamps. all of those are not system attically addressed and i think that's why the rates have increased. >> if you look at the numbers here in the washington area, what do they look like in d.c., >> yeah. absolutely. in the district, great that t the -- the gradeç that the mar of dimes has given is a d and in maryland it is a c. in the district it has

from last year. we are looking at really a rate that affects disproportionately some people in some zip codes more than it does some in other populations. >> you would think, tina, with all of the advertising and the promotion of healthy living, of getting good prenatal care, of eatingç healthier and living healthier lives that we would see, you know, a trajectory in a betterç direction. it almost seems counter intuitive that, you know, the healthier we get or that we say we want to be, the more risky pregnancies we are seeing. >> well, 50% of the time we don't know why women deliver early and have a preterm baby. so the march of dimes is committed to uncovering those reasons. that's why we're increasing our education, but also increasing our research to uncover the reasonúway women deliver early. if we don't know why, we really ca

>> and in the march of dimesç r 80 years now. >> yes, 2018 is a big year for us. we will be celebrating our 80th anniversary and continuing our work at its core which is to improve child health and be an advocate for moms and babies. >> gabriela, can we dig more into the report card findings regarding race and zip code, especially in a region where you have such racial diversity here in the washington area? >> yeah, absolutely. you have to look at theç numbe to see we need to do more for certain zip codes in our district. wards 5, 7 andç 8 have traditionally not been only the zip codes where prematurity rate is high but poverty rates. you have to look at our education system, whether or not we have grocery stores there, where we have safe places for people to walk. you can't really improve on some of those things without improving some of the social determinants that really hit our community the hardest. >> all right. we are talking with the march of

stay with us.ç ♪

what if home security was different? what if it looked different? what if the measure of working, was that you never had to think about it. ♪ what if it was so easy to use, you actually used it. [alarm] you have 3 minutes to exit. what if it gave you time, and what you really need from home security. a sense of security. ♪

welcome back, we are talking with the march of dimes today. tina cavucci, the purpose of your report card -- you have done it for ten years now. >> this is our tenth year. >> talk about why you do the report card and the main purpose it serves. >> the prematurity report card is to ratz awareness about the problem of preterm birth. we issue a national reportç ca as well as one by state, and on the state record card even into the larger communities. it is to raise awareness about the problems within that state, the preterm birth rates, çinfat mortality rates, disparities, and give recommendations so that a state has a focus of what they need to do to improve their rate and therefore increase the nationwide average. >> so, gabriela, one of the main findings is about this preterm rate, you know, prior to 37 weeks. what would you say is t

preterm birth report card? >> you know, i think one of the major findings is to be able to focus on this great data that we've now received from theç march of dimes and our other partners at cdc, to look and say that there's a disparity that's happening in our community. you start to look at some of dh wards and look at per se their infant mortality rate. we have an infant mortality rate in the district of columbia for white women of a four. when you look at the disparity rate that's happening for our women of color, our african-american women and they are at a ten, that certainly needs to be addressed. >> and what compared to the national rate? >> compared to the national rate, which is a five. and so once you put that data together, theç district of columbia is a seven point fix, but disaggregating the data tells us a different story about how women of color may not be accessing the same resources. >> at ondç point d.c. had the highest, the nation's highest infant mortality rate. how did the city

around and where's the city falling short now? >> yeah, for a long time we were on par with mississippi. about 30 years ago we had an infant mortality rate of 30, and so lowering that rate in the last, you know, 30 years has been not just, you know, some of the programs that affect pregnant women specifically but it has been about getting clean water, it has been about improvingç education, all sort of the systems that address poverty in our city. appointments, they're taking their folic acid, if they're smoking they're stopping, if they're overweight they're getting into healthy weight. >> tina, the report card gives you the big picture and then you can go into the communities or they can take the information and work with it. of programs to help women at highest risk. one of them is your mom baby bus? >> yes, this is a local program in the çd.c. area. our mom and baby bus is

health unite. it is in partnership with care first and also university of marylandç capital regional health. it is a doctor's office on wheels, and it delivers prenatal care but also health screenings, education, referrals, vaccines, really bringing the care to people that may be challenged to get access to care, and especially for pregnant women it is important that they get care early in their pregnancy to have the best, you know, birth outcome possible. >> so how do these bus visits happen? who determinesç where the bus goes and when? >> it is really community-led so we work very close with many community organizations to see where there is a need, and the great thing aboutd mobile health unit is we can move to the need. so it is ever-changing, but really building credibility in the community and those partnerships are key. the march of dimes really believes in those partnerships. we bring the bus to areas that we feel have high need and have a lot of visits there, and then also work to refer

permanent care and where will they get their care beyond just the bus. >> yeah, gabriela, this brings into question theç issue of access, which we know is still a problem in -- depending on where you're looking at.ç many of these communities, you know, don't have clinics. the women, the mothers may not have transportation. they may not have primary care physicians. talk about some of their challenges. >> yeah, absolutely. i think women when they have a myriad of problems, you know, if you are looking to make it to work and you need child care, this may be your second or third pregnancy and you are trying to get an appointment across the city somewhere and that may takç you two hours on a bus. you might not be able to get there in time to be able to do t having that access to health care, not only just your health insurance but making sure you are able to see a

visits during a pregnancy which is the recommended standard, that's what we want to make sure women do for each of their preg nance east. even if you had a baby beforehand and you think you might have done it before, you should do it again during the next pregnancy. >> so important to mom and baby. >> and to baby, exactly. >> we will continue our talk with the march of dimes right after this break. ♪ç

welcome back. we're talking with the march of dimes today. tina, you were just talking about the popular mom and baby bus. >> yeah. >> so when you can't get that good prenatal care for the expectant mother and the baby is born prematurely, you've got a program, the nicu family support program, that helps address the needs and the issuesç that com up after preterm pregnancy. tell us about that. >> sure. certainly the march of dimes wants to preventç prema sure birt

when we have a baby in the nicu we have a nicu family support project. we have it here locally in four hospital, anova children's, anova fair oaks and anova alad inhospital. they are there to provide comfort and support to families caring for a babyç in the nicu. we provide education for the staff and nurses that care for these babies, but also education for mom and dad, and forç the parents to make sure that they're confident in caring for their baby while in the nicu, helping them to transition home, supporting breastfeeding in the nicu, trying to improve the patient experience and to ensure that the nicu is family-centered care and the parents are as much a part of the child's care as doctors and nurses. >> gabriela, it is so important preterm baby to know what to do once you ge h

important stage of this process of, you know, becoming a parent. >>ç yeah, absolutely. the resources i think that we provide families in the nicu are incredible. you know, if a baby is born too soon their lungs may not be so there are different things that can support families. once they get the baby home, they may be sent with a machine to help the baby breathe that they might not know how to really work, and so having a baby that is premature and having the resources to help you breastfeed, to know what isç normal, to know what is not, when to get back in touch with your prenatal care providers is really of utmost importance to make sure thaéç the baby continues to have a healthy life cycle, to make sure that they have and reach their first birthday. >> and when we talked about the region wide numbers and the regionwide programs, we have vulnerable communities here in the washington area. tina, you were saying during the break that prince georges has a bigger problem,

these preterm births than you are seeing in any of the rest of the region? >> yes, in this localç region, yes. that's why we have our mom and baby bus that is primary focused on prince georges county right now. we really want to make sure that community you live in, have access to care but also the best chance for a healthy pregnancy. >> the nicu program is particularly important for this community? >> yes, we don't have a program in prince georges county but it is something we hope to have in the future. >> gabriela you talked a little while ago that women need to learn, and you mentioned folic acid. talk about that and why doctors are saying, you know, this is something that a lot of women don't know about that theyç really node to know about. >> yeah. i have this conversation with my girlfriends all the time, that eight to ten months before you want to get pregnant youç shou really be going and speaking to your ob/gyn and talking about taking an

400 milligrams of folic acid. long before you get pregnant there are things you should be doing to get your body ready for pregnancy. that's one of the great things about i think the information that march of dimes has, that your local providers have, is that long before you get pregnant you can be able to help yourç baby. >> you've got a couple of events coming up. one of them is in observance of prematurityúaíareness month, which november is. world prematurity day, which comes up on the 17th of november? >> november 17th is world premature day and this day is focused at raising awareness to the global epidemic of preterm birth, in that 15 million babies are born too early across the world and over a million don't survive. we want to raise awareness and garner support. >> it sounds sort of like a third-world problem in a countrç like the united states. is that an over characterization, gabriela? >> no, there are

states, and we are last in terms of the economic, you know, countries we have in the world. so for us it is a big issue. it is a big problem. a lot of other countries have made strides in making their rates better and we still lag behind. >> okay. all right. we're going the take another just a minute.

for mild-to-moderate eczema? it can be used almost everywhere on almost everybody. the face of a fisherman? the hand of a ranch hand? the knee of a needle pointer? prescription eucrisa is a nose to toes eczema ointment. it blocks overactive pde4 enzymes within your skin. and it's steroid-free. do not use if you are allergic to eucrisa or its ingredients. allergic reactions may occur at

the most common side effect is application site pain. ask your doctor about eucrisa. the march of dimes holds a number of fundraisers throughout the year to support the critical work that you're doing, and one of them is the march for babies, which everybody is invited to get involved in. tell us about that. >> yes, march for babies is our largest annual fundraiser. it happens in 400 communities across the country. we have got five events here, and this is a walk that raises awareness, that raises moneyç r the march of dimes. it is truly grassroots. we've got community organizations that participate, corporations, families that have been affec(ed. the purpose of the event is to,

to remember those babies that are no longer with us and celebrate those that are and share those stories. >> so that takes place in april? >> yes, it is in late april and early may. here we have an event in d.c., fairfax county, prince georges county, prince williams county and southern maryland. >> you can walk wherever you are. >> you can. >> gabriela, can i)ask you abot the other big event. november features signature chefs, theç live -- and the li action that you sponsor. >> yeah, absolutely. tina could probably speak to the -- i think they had a great event last year, but a lot of the money that's raised for the march of dimes goes out to help families, and it is a really fun event. you know, you have chefs and they have, i think, 20 great chefs this year. >> top chefs come out and cook and we have a large live and silent auction that raises money

talked about today. >> so that takes place on november 14thth? >> november 14th at the ritz carlton it it will be a greatç event. we have chef amy brandwine, a lot of great chefs participating and we appreciate their support. >> that's wonderful. people support you all year long, you use a lot of volunteers. >> we do. we're a community-led organization. if you are looking to make a difference in your community, marchofdimes.org is a great way to do it. a lot of the local events like the march for babies, theseç volunteer events, you can can always help us to be able to raise money and get some more resources to families. >> tell us about some of the other programsç that you have support babies, mothers and families. >> sure. the march of dimes is really focused. there's not one known cause for premature birth, there's not going to be one known prevention. we are focused a lot on expanding our researc

education. we are a leader in health education for pregnant moms. so marchofdimes.org has all of the information that you need that you should ask your provider. also advocacy, so we are constantly advocating for women and children, makingç sure tha we're forefront of policies that affect them as well as clinical care. we want to improve krclinicaí ce for moms and babies. >> and it is so critical, because when you're talking about premature birth, preterm birth, gabriela, the risks to the baby can be life-long, life-changing and irreversible? >> right, they can be chronic risks that affect the life of the child throughout the course of its life. and so one of the great programs i think that march of dimes has really been doinu is to make sure that we have centering health care in our communities, centering pregnancy. that helps women to getç more than just traditional care but to get more doctors

worker to help through their pregnancy. for all of the things we don't traditionally think affect a one in her pregnancy maybe like resources to get food, so having those programs in our community has been part of the work we have done locally with the march of dimes the make sure that women have the resources that they need. >> a lot of your programs address a lot of the issues that impact outcomes. >> yes, that's the goal. we want to improve birth outcomes. ways that we need to do that. the march of dimes is really focused to uncover the reasons, but also focused on sevenç interventions we know are effective, and working to move those forward and hope that all babies are born healthy one day. that is our goal, is that every family gets to experience that, you know, birth of a healthy baby. >> interventions real quickly? >> seven interventions. there are a lot of them, but some are positive point out receiving 17 p, you know, if you

receive a shot that could help prolong it. you know, if you have a shortened cervix a serclage, trying toç focus on birthing spacing. making sure women have 18 months between pregnancies is important. there are a lot of interventions we are working on we have proven are effective, so that's why we're continuing to do work in those areas. >> tina cavucci and gabriela garcia, thank you for the work you are doing. >> thank you for the opportunity. >> log on to the website nbcwashington.com and click on community. i'm pat lawson muse. thank you for watching. ♪ ♪ ♪

ok, i gotta run... hey wait. there's something i need to tell you. dang. dang. dang. dang. daaaang. see zero in a whole new way.

zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty. your privacy makes you myt number 1 place to go number 2. i love you, but sometimes you stink. febreze air effects doesn't just mask, it cleans away odors. because the things you love the most can stink.

to clean away odors for up to 30 days. breathe happy with febreze. and that breaking news out of prince george's county. police there investigating a murder-suicide involving a mother and her son. we're told officers went to do a welfare check last night at a home in the area of country ward court and sheriff road in hyattsville, just down the road from the king shopping center. police say the two were found severely injured. they both died at the scene. we're going to update you as we learn more. that is an unfortunate story to start out with on this sunday morning, but good morning to you, and thank you so much for joining us. i am adam tusk. this is david culver. this is not an imagination. this is not a figment of your imagination. we are together on the set. >>