About the 2009 Prematurity Summit

Thanks to the more than 150 prematurity leaders who participated in the Coalition's first Statewide Prematurity Summit, June 1 - 2, 2009 in Sacramento. The response was fantastic and the sessions were informative, interactive and inspirational!

We wish to especially thank our founding champion and fiscal supporter, MedImmune, Inc. along with the following contributors supporting the priority projects of the Coalition:
- Pacific Life Foundation
- March of Dimes
- Health Net, Inc.
- CHW, Mercy General Hospital, Sacramento
- Abbott Nutrition
- Sierra Health Foundation


Who we are: The Coalition brings together organizations, prematurity leaders and parents who are directly involved in the issue of prematurity, from preconception to NICU hospitals to long term care. Our common goal is to reduce the rate of premature births and improve outcomes for those born premature in California.

Who Attended the Conference?: Family support providers, nurses, physicians, clinical social workers, clinic and hospital administrators, women and children’s advocates, policymakers with an interest in health and prematurity, and individuals who have firsthand experience with prematurity including Departments of Public Health and Health Services staff, First 5 representatives, Family Resource Center leaders and staff, and many other committed leaders.

8.25 CME and 10.0 CEU were earned

Summit Objectives Accomplished - At the completion of the Summit, participants were able to:
• Describe the contributing factors and impact of prematurity, from preconception through long term outcomes
• Understand gaps and action opportunities in policy, resource and program areas affecting prematurity in California
• Identify specific areas for reform to reduce the rate of premature birth and increase positive outcomes for those born premature.

Organizational History and Structure

The CA Premature Infant Health Coalition was formed in 2007 with support and financing from MedImmune Inc. a founding stakeholder in the Coalition. The original purpose for creating the Coalition and continuing goal of this effort was to: 1. Create a strong, unified voice in California to help reduce the rate of premature births and improve outcomes for children born prematurely and their families. 2. Provide a sustainable setting to network, share best practice and other information, address policy, resource and systems change, and to help keep decision makers and the general public educated and knowledgeable about prematurity.

Currently the Coalition is organized and housed under a fiscal sponsor, Community Services Planning Council (CSPC), a 501(c )(3) organization which has been in business for more than 75 years. The Community Services Planning Council is a catalyst for community change, providing health and human services information for the public, engaging people in collaborative planning, conducting policy analysis on health and social issues, developing innovative programs, building coalitions to effectively respond to emerging community needs, and offering training and technical assistance in community planning, mobilizing and program development so people can improve their communities. More information on CSPC can be found at www.communitycouncil.org.

Priority Projects

The Coalition has four current priority projects:
• Conducting a Gap Analysis Project to understand the current state of affairs of prematurity in California and to make strategic policy, program and action plan recommendations for the five prematurity issue categories (See Paragraph 2 above)
• Hosting a Prematurity Summit in the spring of 2009, to bring together a broad array of leadership interested in prematurity, update our stakeholders on the latest status and best practices involving prematurity, and to help set the course of action necessary to move California forward toward improving the prematurity situation in our state
• Conducting NICU hospital Policymaker Tours to develop relationships with policymakers and increase their prematurity knowledge
• Developing a comprehensive Web site on prematurity to increase internal Coalition exchange of information and external communications with policymakers, media and the public.

Membership

Coalition stakeholder membership is open to anyone or any organization with an interest in prematurity. The Coalition has the following components to its organizational structure. The Coalition’s Steering Committee includes all stakeholders and is responsible for setting the broad policies and goals directing the work of the group. The Coalition currently has more than 68 individuals and organization stakeholder who have been involved in the Coalition. The operations and administration of the Coalition is carried out by a 23 member Executive Committee, lead by four Officers (i.e. Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary Treasurer, and Governance/Membership Officer). The Executive Committee is the Board of Directors for the Coalition. The full list of stakeholders – the Steering Committee - meets two to three times a year to conduct broad strategic planning. The Executive Committee meets every two months or as necessary to oversee and supervise the work of the Coalition and its supporting staff. The Coalition carries out its work through ad hoc and standing committees supported by the Coalition’s Project Coordinator/Executive Director and administrative staff. The staff support is further augmented by independent consultants with the knowledge and experience necessary to support the Coalition’s specific project work.

Overview of the California Premature Infant Health Coalition

California has more than 56,000 premature births each year, which is 10.7% of all California births, much higher than the national Healthy People 2010 goal of 7.6% of all births. More than 10% of all premature births in the United States happen here in California. Every five years more than a quarter of a million premature children are added to our state’s population. A great percentage of these children have serious health and development conditions requiring far more than the average health, developmental and social service care to help them have the optimal outcome for their lives.

The California Premature Infant Health Coalition was created to bring together the broad array of groups and individuals working on prematurity in California. The California Premature Infant Health Coalition is organized to include individuals and organizations representing five issue categories: preconception, prevention/prenatal care, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospital, discharge/transitioning out of the hospital, and long term care.