March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
The March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation is a non-profit organization based in United States. It was established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938 as the National Foundation for infantile Paralysis. The organization was mainly founded to fight polio. Once the vaccine for polio was discovered, the organization adopted the new mission to fight all kinds of birth defects. The goal of the foundation was subsequently changed to improving the health of mothers and babies.
The not-for-profit organization has a 501 (c) (3) status and therefore donators are exempted from paying tax for their donations. The headquarters of the organization are in White Plains, NY. It has about 51 chapters across the United States. More than 75 percent of the revenues and collections of the foundation are allocated to program services. The contributions are voluntary and include corporate gifts, bequeaths and personal gifts too.
Some of the various birth defects that the organization has been able to fight effectively and successfully include rubella or German measles, incorporation of Intensive Care Units for newborns, the fetal alcohol syndrome, pulmonary surfactant respiratory issues, folic acid campaigns, new born screening and after polio vaccine.
There are also various kinds of activities that are still part of the ongoing effort of the foundation. Preterm baby's survival is one of the largest causes of newborn deaths. A national Prematurity Campaign has been established to create awareness of the issues that can result from a premature baby. The campaign also aims to establish an understanding of the various issues that can cause a premature baby and the complications that can result from such an event later in life. Towards this effort, the foundation also published a global report on birth defects in 2006 and a white paper on prematurity in 2009. The foundation considers that every child who has been personally affected by the March of Dimes mission is an ambassador to their cause.
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