Heart Announces Sponsorship of March for Babies
February 1, 2012
Local Businesswoman Joins March Of Dimes In Leading The Charge To Improve the Health of Lancaster County Babies
Karen Metz, CEO of Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center joins national team of business leaders to launch March for Babies 2012 fundraising campaign
More than 700 of Lancaster County babies will be born premature this year, and local business leader Karen Metz is working with the March of Dimes to change this on behalf of Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center and OBGYN of Lancaster.
Metz, who is CEO of Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center, knows how important the March of Dimes mission is. Metz has taken on the role to raise awareness and important funding to provide for babies who are born premature or with birth defects. Heart of Lancaster and OBGYN of Lancaster have signed on to raise at least $18,000 for March for Dimes as an organization, and hope to assist March of Dimes in raising even more funds in the community.
March for Babies, the March of Dimes’ largest fundraiser, helps fund lifesaving research and educational programs aimed at helping moms have healthy babies. Last year, the Lancaster event raised more than $240,000 – this year, March for Babies Chair Metz hopes to bring in even more by focusing on new revenue and helping to raise awareness in the area.
“I am happy to help March of Dimes bring more awareness to our community about premature births and birth defects,” said Metz. “The March for Babies is a wonderful cause that businesses and community members alike should consider supporting.”
Lancaster County residents can sign up today at www.marchforbabies.org and start a team with co-workers, family or friends. Last year, more than 1300 people attended the event, which will be held on April 29th at the Johnson & Johnson facility in the Greenfield Corporate Center.
“We’re so excited to have Karen Metz on board to help us at a local level,” said James Dennis, State Director for the March of Dimes Pennsylvania Chapter. “Her passion for the cause and commitment to helping our babies will be a huge driving factor in the success of our event next year. We are grateful for the time and support she’s able to lend us.”
Funds raised by March for Babies help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) family support programs and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.
Currently, the March of Dimes is investing more than $4.1 million in research and programs in Pennsylvania alone. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University College of Medicine - St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Magee-Womens Research Institute-University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, The Wistar Institute and Thomas Jefferson University are among the Pennsylvania hospitals and institutions conducting March of Dimes supported research. Pennsylvania Community Service Grants support pilot programs at Pennsylvania Hospital, Hamot Medical Center, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Family Medicine Collaboration, Abington Memorial Hospital, Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson OB Department and Children’s Hospital of UPMC.
The March of Dimes NICU Family Support® Program helps moms and dads cope when their baby is born too soon. In Pennsylvania it is located at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger Medical Center and it is the country’s first rural NICU Family Support site, serving 35 largely rural counties across Central and Northeast Pennsylvania. Our NICU Family Support® License Program at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem serves the needs of families experiencing a NICU stay from across five counties in the Lehigh Valley.
The March for Babies is sponsored nationally by the March of Dimes number one corporate supporter Kmart, Farmers Insurance Group, Bayer HealthCare, CIGNA, United Airlines, Famous Footwear, FedEx, Sanofi Pasteur, First Response, and Mission Pharmacal. In Lancaster, March for Babies is sponsored by Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Kahn Lucas, Mercedes Benz of Lancaster and Macy’s. Geisinger Health System is the March of Dimes Pennsylvania Prematurity Partner.
About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
About Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center
Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center is a 148-bed hospital that is staffed with caring and respectful health professionals. Heart of Lancaster offers a choice of the county’s top physicians, beautifully appointed patient rooms, state-of-the-art technology in a patient-friendly and stress-free environment. For more information, visit www.heartoflancaster.com.
About OBGYN of Lancaster
OBGYN of Lancaster provides comprehensive, compassionate OB/GYN care to women of all ages and stages of life. OBGYN of Lancaster is proud to have board-certified physicians, certified midwives and certified nurse practitioners to provide the high-quality care all women deserve. Learn more at www.obgynol.com.
