Zika Virus Update

The Zika virus continues to generate concern among all people, particularly pregnant women and their practitioners. With the identification of local transmission within the continental United States, this concern has grown. The following is a brief overview of information available and links to reliable resources for patients and practitioners. Zika is a virus transmitted via the Aedes species mosquitoes, sexual … Read More

Why Finland’s Newborns Sleep in Cardboard Cribs

From the NEW YORK TIMES At a glance, it seems a strange place to put a newborn: a bit of bedding and a miniature sleeping bag arranged in a cardboard box. Even so, that’s the first place that many Finnish infants lay their little heads. And the simple setup is believed to be one reason that Finland now has one … Read More

March of Dimes Says Preterm Birth Rate Increase Is A Wake-Up Call

Statement by Edward R.B. McCabe, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the March of Dimes White Plains, NY | Thursday, June 02, 2016 For the first time in eight years, the national preterm birth rate has increased rather than decreased, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The 2015 preliminary preterm birth rate for the … Read More

Forget Me Not Support Group offers connection for mothers

By Brooke Thibodaux |Friday, May 6th 2016 | WCHS-TV News CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — Losing a child is undesirable for any parent. Losing a child during pregnancy can be isolating for the mother. There is a Facebook support group of local moms who are working to change the conversation and help each other. Eyewitness News met with one of those … Read More

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep captures last moments of still-borns for parents

By Brooke Thibodaux |Friday, May 6th 2016| WCHS-TV News CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — No parent plans to lose their child, but for some their worst fear becomes a reality. One nonprofit organization, named after a classic bed time prayer, is helping parents capture moments they can never get back. Eyewitness News shares the story of the Johns family. Erica and … Read More

Education, public health organizations & others join calls for $1 cigarette tax hike

By Shauna Johnson in News (WV MetroNews) | April 28, 2016 at 1:16PM CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An increase of at least $1 to the state tax on a pack of cigarettes could make the difference for West Virginia’s physical and fiscal health, according to representatives from a coalition of West Virginia education, public health and faith-based community organizations. As state budget … Read More

Advocates make renewed call for $1 tobacco tax increase

By Lydia Nuzum, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail Thursday, April 28, 2016 Proponents of a $1 increase in West Virginia’s tobacco tax said Thursday that the struggling proposal is a “no-brainer” for the state with some of the highest rates of smoking among both teens and adults and an existing tax lower than that of 45 other states. On Thursday, a … Read More

WV Tobacco tax proponents say measure will save money

By Rusty Marks Posted: Apr 28, 2016 2:29 PM EDT Updated: Apr 28, 2016 3:23 PM EDT West Virginia will save tens of millions of dollars in medical costs if lawmakers increase the taxes on tobacco products, local health care providers say. Members of the policy research group West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy and local health care providers … Read More

Pass the Buck: Pregnancy Care Providers Want WV to Up Tobacco Tax

Dan Heyman, Public News Service – WV April 29, 2016 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia pregnancy-care providers want lawmakers to “pass the buck” by raising the state cigarette tax by $1 a pack.  With a big hole in the state budget, the $150 million more a year in tobacco revenue looks appealing. But doctors here also hope to reduce the … Read More

Controversial Fetal Assault Law Discontinued by TN Lawmakers

From NPR, “A small but pivotal group of Tennessee representatives voted Tuesday to discontinue one of the state’s most divisive criminal laws. Known as “fetal assault,” the measure empowered prosecutors to arrest women who abuse heroin or pain pills during pregnancy, if their babies were born dependent. A one-of-a-kind statute that criminalized drug use by pregnant women is now on … Read More