Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition

Healthy Start Annual Board Meeting Focuses on Prevention of Feta

Feb 12, 2003

On October 18th, JoAnne Mansell, RN and Denise Costa presented an educational and moving workshop on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects to Healthy Start Board members and guests.
As many as 12,000 infants are born each year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and three times as many are born with alcohol-related birth defects. Making this the leading known cause of mental retardation and birth defects and 100% preventable.
The American Academy of Pediatrics provides the following recommendations in prevention of FAS and effects:
Abstinence from alcohol for women who are pregnant or who are planning a pregnancy.
Major efforts should be made at all levels of society to develop high-quality educational programs about the consequences of alcohol for the unborn child.
Pediatricians and other health care professionals who provide care for women and their newborns should increase their own awareness and that of their patients about FAS, alcohol related birth defects, and their prevention.
The Healthy Start Coalition has identified substance abuse as a community-wide problem that contributes to low birth weight and poor birth outcomes. The Coalition will be developing and providing educational programs and targeted outreach to local providers, agencies, and the community. Grant funding for a Women?’s Intervention Specialist has been applied for through the March of Dimes to focus on this initiative.