initiative was developed based on five core concepts: Partnerships and collaborations, Provider initiatives, Patient support, Public engagement, and Progress measurement. The program encourages providers to educate patients on the risk factors and prevention methods for preterm births, inform women of childbearing age of the challenges of delivering prematurely, and distribute public information regarding the costs of prematurity on society ($26 million annually). Program initiatives and services include progesterone shots given to pregnant women with past histories of preterm births, encouraging folic acid usage and stress management during pregnancy, and developing strategies to eliminate cesarean deliveries and inductions before 39 week's gestation unless medically necessary. The program was implemented as a Best Practice in the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) in 2015. Perinatal Data Center The March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center includes the PeriStats Web site, which provides free access to U.S., state, county, and city maternal and infant health data. Legislation supported PREEMIE Reauthorization Act (S. 252; 113th Congress) – a bill that would reauthorize research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to preterm birth and take other actions to improve infant mortality rates. Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 1281; 113th Congress) - a bill that would amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize grant programs and other initiatives to promote expanded screening of newborns and children for heritable disorders. The March of Dimes described the bill as reauthorizing "critical federal activities that assist states in improving and expanding their newborn screening programs, supporting parents and provider newborns screening education, and ensuring laboratory quality and surveillance." State Children's Health Insurance Program reauthorization - a bill that supported the continuation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a program that provides health insurance to 11 million low-income children and pregnant women. In 2007 and 2009, March of Dimes partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of Children's Hospitals (NACH) on the issue. Notable staff Virginia Apgar, M.D., the creator of the Apgar Score, joined the March of Dimes in 1959 and eventually served as vice president for medical affairs. Criticism and controversy Animal rights organizations have raised concerns about March of Dimes-funded medical research involving animals. The foundation states it supports the use of non-animal research alternatives wherever possible. In his book Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach'', sociologist Professor James M. Henslin