March of Dimes: Ohio gets ‘F’ for preterm birthrate

The March of Dimes released its latest Premature Birth Report Card this week and Ohio was given an F, ranking 33rd among the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (Source: “March of Dimes report card gives Ohio a grade of 'F' for its preterm birthrate,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 17, 2009).

In the organization’s second annual Report Card, Ohio was one of just two states to see their preterm birthrate drop, from 13 percent last year to 13.3 percent on this year's report card. The nation, as a whole, was given a grade of D.

The Report Card is based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics, which lags a couple of years behind. One reason for optimism for Ohio is that that means the birth rate does not reflect the work of the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which formed in 2007 and includes the state’s 20 largest birthing hospitals. One of the primary goals of the OPQC is to reduce medically unnecessary preterm births at 36, 37 and 38 weeks gestation.