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November is Prematurity Awareness Month and the month when the March of Dimes focuses the nation’s attention on premature birth. The awareness month kicks off with the release of the Premature Birth Report Card. November 17 marks World Prematurity Day. Premature birth is a very serious health problem. Worldwide, 15 million babies are born preterm and more than a million die as a result. Babies who survive often have lifelong health problems such as cerebral palsy, vision and hearing loss, and intellectual disabilities.

Adriann Combs, RN, Regional Perinatal Center Coordinator, Stony Brook University Hospital is available to discuss:

• Empowering women to actively participate in their own and their baby’s plan of care by seeking early prenatal care when they are pregnant and attending all of their visits• Avoiding early elective (non-medically indicated) deliveries before 39 weeks of pregnancy• Identifying and treating chronic health conditions in women before pregnancy; including obesity, diabetes and heart disease• Address modifiable factors that impact pregnancy outcome including unplanned pregnancy, short pregnancy intervals, stress and smoking• Increasing awareness of progesterone treatments for all women with a prior preterm birth or a short cervix

### About Stony Brook University Hospital:Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) is Long Island’s premier academic medical center. With 603 beds, SBUH serves as the region’s only tertiary care center and Regional Trauma Center, and is home to the Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Stony Brook University Cancer Center, Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute, and Stony Brook University Digestive Disorders Institute. SBUH also encompasses Suffolk County’s only Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center, state-designated AIDS Center, state-designated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program, state-designated Burn Center, the Christopher Pendergast ALS Center of Excellence, and Kidney Transplant Center. It is home of the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. To learn more, visit .