Jacksonville was represented at the Florida Prematurity Summit held by the March of Dimes Florida Chapter November 10 in Tampa. The Summit was held to look at the status of preterm births, identify evidence-based strategies to reduce preterm birth rates and develop a statewide vision and strategic plan to address the issue.
The city was one of several in the state that received a poor grade on the March of Dimes annual report card for high prematurity rates.
Magnolia Project Director Faye Johnson provided community perspective on a County Experience Panel, which featured a mix of state and federal Healthy Start programs:
- Faye Johnson, Magnolia Project, Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition
- Lo Berry, Reach Up Inc. — Hillsborough County
- Manuel Fermin, Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade
- Joy Anderson, Gadsden County Healthy Start Coalition
The summit also included several round table discussions. Board of Directors Vice Chair Rev. Tommy Rodgers also attended the event.
The top three areas the summit group will work on over the next year are: data and networking, community inclusion and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC).