Press Room | University Hospital, Newark, NJ

NEWARK – Today, University Hospital announced that Lynda Arnold, the Hospital’s Director of Family Health Services, will serve as the Chair of the Essex County 2017 March for Babies. The event is March of Dimes’ largest annual fundraiser, with funds going to support research and preventive measures that fight premature birth.

The three-mile walk will begin at Brookdale Park in Bloomfield at 9:00 AM on April 30. Participants are encouraged to sign up with a team and raise money that will go toward reaching a goal of $295,000. More details about the walk event may be found here.

“I’m thrilled to be leading the walk this April, having participated many times over the years and witnessing the incredible power of the event,” said Lynda Arnold, resident of Hillside. “We urge everyone in Essex County to join us on that day, and to give what they can to support a cause that is truly a life-or-death issue for many families. Sign up, join a team, donate, and come out and march with us on what is sure to be a wonderful day for Essex County.”

Arnold and the entire staff at University Hospital have made enormous strides in addressing premature births. Just last month, University Hospital became the first hospital in Essex County to achieve Baby Friendly USA's “Baby-Friendly Hospital” designation, a distinction administered by the UNICEF’s US Fund for select hospitals around the world that promote breastfeeding within the hospital and the community as the healthiest choice for newborn children and their mothers.

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The Hospital also recently started a Preemie Parent's Club for parents of children born prematurely. The program, funded by a March of Dimes grant connects “preemie parents” with hospital staff and other parents to help mentor and guide families through what can be a challenging period.

Premature birth is the number one cause of death in children under the age of five. The issue of premature birth is of particular significance in Essex County, which received a ‘D’ grade on the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card last year. In 2016, 11.2% of babies were born prematurely in Essex County, compared with only 7.3% of babies in Ocean County. African-American women are especially prone to giving birth early – in New Jersey the preterm birth rate for black women is 44% higher than the rate among all other women.

To sign up for March for Babies or to donate money to the March of Dimes, visit http://www.marchforbabies.org

Lynda Arnold, MHA, RN, NE-BC

Director of Family Health Services, University Hospital

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University Hospital is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, and is the Level 1 Trauma Center for Northern New Jersey. Located at University Heights in Newark, New Jersey, University Hospital is a principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences and a regional resource for advanced services across many medical specialties. In September, the Hospital announced a partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey to expand cancer services across Essex County. The partnership will allow New Jersey residents to access certain types of cancer treatment in Newark that was previously only available for patients in New Brunswick. The Hospital also recently announced a new policy change that prohibits smoking across the entire medical campus. For more information about University Hospital, please visit www.uhnj.org.