Tri-States Score "C" On March Of Dimes Birth Report Card
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The March of Dimes has issued a Birth Report Card, grading states on how many premature births occur each year.
Doctor Jay Greenspan is Head of Pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and Nemours A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children. He's also Chair of Program Services for the Pennsylvania March of Dimes.
The grade for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware on premature births is average.
"We've all rated a 'C', so that grade is just as it sounds as if you were in school. It's average, each state has opportunities to improve and problem areas to address," Greenspan says.
He says the rate of premature black babies in Pennsylvania, at 13%, is nearly double that of white babies. The March of Dimes wants to reduce the number of premature births to 8 % in five years.