ASAP - Actions for Stillbirth Awareness and Prevention
December 12, 2012
CSAP
Actions for Stillbirth Awareness & Prevention
Welcome
This national project' official name is the Actions for Stillbirth Awareness and Prevention, otherwise known as ASAP! The official website can be located at www.StopStillbirthASAP.org and our mission is clear simply by our name and website URL!
Background
Each year in the United States nearly 26,000 babies are stillborn, and most of these babies are of viable gestational age. For most the cause is never known.
Stillbirth causes and prevention have not been studied until rather recently. Many, including some health care providers, have commonly assumed that stillbirth can’t be predicted or avoided. However, there are a number of things that can be done to reduce the risk and we are learning more each year. Awareness and education for both the pregnant mothers and health care providers is critical in both prevention and bereavement support.
Up until this time, many well-meaning, well-educated parent advocacy organizations have launched independent efforts to bring attention to the issues. They have designed educational brochures, visited physician offices, launched websites, helped to author legislation, demanded certificates recognizing the birth, and pleaded for research and attention from federal agencies that embrace maternal infant health issues. But this fragmented approach to stillbirth has been inefficient and often ineffective. We believe that it is time for change....
On the heels of the 2012 International Conference on Stillbirth, SIDS and Infant Survival, the publication of the Lancet series on Stillbirth, and the 2011 International Stillbirth Summit, parents and their families are adamant that attention be given to “the stillbirth epidemic”. The time has come for a multi-year National Campaign for Stillbirth Awareness and Education spearheaded by a coalition of organizations and individuals. We envision key goals of the campaign such as:
1) widely disseminate currently recognized stillbirth risk reduction messaging targeting pregnant and potentially pregnant women with agreement on unified messaging.
2) stimulate additional research and opportunities to understand and prevent stillbirth.
3) educate and engage healthcare providers in the process in order to both increase their knowledge about stillbirth risk reduction and make them more sensitive to the issues facing parents.
4) advocate and educate policy makers about stillbirth when potential legislation or policies pertaining to stillbirth are being considered (i.e. such as when Lautenberg/Pallone legislation is re-introduced to the 113th congress.)
Will you show your support by joining with us as a Coalition Member in this National Stillbirth Campaign? By joining the coalition at ASAP you are honoring babies who have not taken their first breath and families who cannot adequately speak on their own. By individuals and organization joining together we can decrease the numbers of babies in the USA who die during pregnancy.
Thank you for your consideration and concern. If you have questions, please contact one of the founding groups
Founding Groups with representatives serving on the ASAP Stearing Committee:
www.1stBreath.org (info@1stBreath.org 816-830-9572)
www.BabiesRemembered.org
www.FirstCandle.org
www.StarLegacyFoundation.org
