Saturday, January 7, 2017

YCPO - January 2017

Good Morning fellow Kiwanians!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Fact: 13% of SIDS(Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has been attributed to smoking during pregnancy or after birth.
Fact: Every year more than 2.1 million babies are born prematurely or with birth defects throughout the world.
Fact: 100% of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders(FASD) are 100% preventable. 
Fact: Every year 2 million children die worldwide because they were not immunized. 

MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH

  Some children  born today die or suffer needlessly in spite of the medicines and technology available.Many will die because their mothers didn't know how to take care of themselves during pregnancy; they have poor eating habits, smoke, drink alcohol or even take drugs. Other children will be handicapped permanently by their mothers' lifestyles. 
   
  Some babies won't be seen by doctors for checkups and won't be immunized. Others will suffer from being "shaken"; they may suffer permanent disabilities or die. As Kiwanians there is much we can do.
 We can educate the public!

  Brochures available from the March of Dimes:

PRETERM LABOR identifies preterm labor, why it is important to know about it, risk factors, signs of preterm labor and what to do.

NEWBORN CARE deals with getting ready for the baby, baby's first checkup, feeding your baby, after baby comes home, when baby is sick, and vaccination information. 
Distribute to: doctor's offices, clinics, grocery stores,  hospitals that provide parent education classes for pregnant women and mother support groups, health fairs.

 OTHER PROJECT IDEAS FROM MOD: 

  Provide prenatal health-care at work

The March of Dimes has developed a series of nine seminars, titled Babies and You,” designed for presentation during lunch hours or other periods of the workday. These seminars educate potential parents about lifestyle behaviors that can affect a pregnancy and encourage early and regular prenatal care. Many employers have begun to realize that their companies benefit from programs that improve the pregnancy outcome of workers. 

A Kiwanis club could be the catalyst to bring the Babies and You” 
seminars to a community. The club can work with small businesses in 
the community to organize a class of employees for the seminars. 
The Babies and You” seminars are conducted by local March of Dimes offices. 
To find the nearest March of Dimes office, contact the Fulfillment Center 
of the March of Dimes at 800-367-6630 or www.marchofdimes.com

OTHER PROJECT IDEAS:

  Prevent Lead Poisoning
Even very low levels of lead in a child’s blood can permanently lower the child’s intelligence and development. Yet lead is in old paint, water pipes and the dirt around houses and highways. Protecting children from lead requires testing and removal or coverage of the lead source. 
To learn how a club can prevent lead poisoning in a community, download the service bulletin on lead poisoning at www.KiwanisOne.org/ycpo.

Set up a health screening or free clinic.

  Develop new health-care services for children. 
download the service bulletin on Project Ideas at

  Contact the Department of Public in your area and ask if members can assist with their established programs.


 
Develop a smoking awareness campaign for pregnant women 
A public health expert has estimated that infant mortality would decrease by 10 percent if all pregnant women quit smoking. However, many pregnant smokers don’t know they are hurting their babies or the degree to which developing fetuses can be damaged. The Kiwanis service bulletin on smoking awareness for pregnant women, available at www.KiwanisOne.org/ycpo, provides reproducible materials and suggestions for the campaign’s organization, including a smoking cessation class for future parents. 

There is much work to be done. Just think - how many lives can we save or improve by going out and educating the public. 

Finally just a THANK YOU  to all Clubs and Club Members for all that you do for Kiwanis, your communities and people around the world!

Sincerely,
Ava Adams, District Chair 2016-17
Early Childhood Development/Y.C.P.O.
Scarborough, Maine
New England and Bermuda District!
email: faithava2008@yahoo.com