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