South and North Carolina get a "F" when it comes to reducing preterm births, according to nationwide study out today.
Doctors say not only is that a health risk to the baby, but it is financial burden all on all of us.
Representatives from the major hospitals in the Upstate gathered to vow to fight this problem. In South Carolina the premature birth rate is 15.6 percent. The goal is to get down to 8 percent.
The reason our area has such trouble with early births is because of poverty, obesity, smoking and access to care.
One local doctor says the only way the numbers will change is through early education.
Dr. Kenneth Trofatter with Greenville Hospital System says, "In many instances what happens is they end up in the door 6, 8, 12, 20 weeks pregnant before we've had the chance to intervene. All of those factors play a role critically in the pregnancy for setting someone up for preterm labor."
Premature births cost Americans 26 billion dollars each year.
Every one in six babies in South Carolina are premature that compares to every one in eight in the nation.
In this latest study the U.S. got a "D". Vermont scored the highest at a "B".
If you would like to see the study click on this link.
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