The March of Dimes is offering funding to local organizations in Missouri for innovative programs to help babies be born healthy.
The grants, ranging from $3,000 to $25,000, will be made for programs that incorporate one of these strategies:
1. Increase availability and quality of health care/prevention services for all women of childbearing age and /or pregnant women
2. Increase availability of genetics services and folic acid education
The applicant must provide services in Missouri, excluding the counties Platte, Clay, Jackson, and Cass (projects servicing these counties will need to apply to the Kansas Chapter).
Applications for these Missouri grants are due by September 4, 2008. Awardees will be notified in January 2009. More information and application forms are available on-line at www.marchofdimes.com/missouri or by calling Karen King at the March of Dimes, 314-646-8601, ext. 233.
In order to be eligible, an organization must be an incorporated non-for-profit 501(c) (3) or for profit organization or government agency. The March of Dimes does not award grants to individuals. Grants are for one year and may be renewed up to two additional years.
Study says essential dental treatment safe for pregnant women
Pregnant women can safely undergo essential dental treatment and receive topical and local anesthetics at 13 to 21 weeks gestation, says a study published in the June issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.
Although obstetricians generally consider dental care safe for pregnant women, supporting clinical trial evidence has been lacking. To address this issue, researchers compared safety outcomes from the Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy Trial in which pregnant women received scaling and root planing (deep cleaning) and essential dental treatment (defined as treatment of moderate-to-severe cavities or fractured or abscessed teeth).
The researchers randomly assigned 823 pregnant women with periodontitis to receive scaling and root planing, either at 13 to 21 weeks’ gestation or up to three months after delivery. (Experts recommend that pregnant women defer elective care before eight weeks’ gestation and during late pregnancy.) The researchers determined that 483 of these women also needed essential dental treatment. Three hundred fifty-one of the women completed all recommended treatment.
Throughout the trial, obstetric nurses reviewed medical records to monitor subjects for serious adverse events. The authors defined these events as pregnancies that ended in a non-live birth and other adverse events that did not result in pregnancy termination (including hospitalizations for more than 24 hours because of labor pains, hospitalizations for any other reason, fetal or congenital anomalies and neonatal deaths).
The results of the study showed that “periodontal treatment and essential dental treatment, administered at a time between 13 and 21 weeks’ gestation, did not significantly increase the risk of any adverse outcome evaluated,” the authors write. “Use of topical and local anesthetics for scaling and root planing also was not associated with an increased risk of experiencing these adverse events and outcomes.”
The research team was led by Dr. Bryan Michalowicz, professor of periodontics, University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Minneapolis.
Pharmacy assistance program helps Missourians with prescriptions
“Helping Missourians Stay Healthy” is the goal of Missouri’s state pharmacy assistance program called the Missouri Rx Plan or MoRx. MoRx works with Medicare Part D to help defray the high cost of prescription drugs for qualifying members. It pays 50% of the out-of-pocket cost remaining after the member uses their Medicare Part D plan. MoRx pays for 50% of the Medicare Part D plan deductible and 50% of all co-payments including the coverage gap and beyond.
MoRx enrollment is open year-round. There is no enrollment fee and once enrolled, members do not have to enroll again. The program is currently providing prescription drug assistance to 180,000 members across Missouri. It is estimated an additional 40,430 Medicare beneficiaries would qualify for MoRx benefits.
You may be eligible for MoRx if you meet the following requirements:
? A Missouri resident
? Enrolled in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D)
? Single with an annual gross income of $20,800 or less; or
Married with an annual gross income of $28,000 or less
The MoRx application may be found at pharmacies, Area Agencies on Aging, County Health Departments, Department of Revenue offices and City/County Libraries or by contacting the MoRx Helpdesk toll-free at 1-800-375-1406. Applications may also be downloaded from the MoRx website: morx.mo.gov