BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Every step in a baby’s development – from conception to birth and beyond – is important to his or her future health and well-being. This is why – for the fourteenth consecutive year –CIGNA will walk with the March of Dimes, step by step, on their national March for Babies event (formerly WalkAmerica). CIGNA is once again a national sponsor of this effort and CIGNA teams will take part in marches throughout the country.

Last year, Team CIGNA fielded more than 2,000 walkers and raised more than $1.5 million for the March of Dimes. This brings CIGNA's total fundraising support through March for Babies over the past 13 years to $20.5 million.

CIGNA and the CIGNA Foundation, a private charitable foundation funded by CIGNA and its subsidiaries, support the March of Dimes’ work to give every baby a healthy start in life. In an average week in the United States, 79,078 babies are born. Of these, 6,816 are born to mothers who have received inadequate prenatal care, 9,776 are born preterm, 6,380 have low birth weight, and 538 will die before their first birthday.^{1, 2} Families and our society as a whole are impacted tremendously by these facts.

“The health and wellness needs of children and mothers begin well before pregnancy and continue after birth,” said Dr. David Ferriss, CIGNA’s national medical director for clinical program development. “Each dollar CIGNA employees raise helps make it more likely that parents everywhere will enjoy a healthy pregnancy and healthy children. We are happy to continue stepping up for the March for Babies.”

“The March of Dimes encourages all women of childbearing age to take good care of their health for their own sake as well as for that of their future babies,” said Dr. Jennifer Howse, president of the March of Dimes. “CIGNA and its employees really understand and support our efforts to help families have stronger, healthier babies.”

Along with March for Babies, CIGNA employees, under the campaign slogan “Every Step Counts,” are raising money for the cause through awareness and fund-raising events at CIGNA offices nationwide.

¹ National Institute of Health Statistics, final natality data (2004) http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/pdflib/999/pds_99_1.pdf

² National Institute of Health Statistics, period linked birth/infant death data (2003) http://www.marchofdimes.com/peristats/pdflib/999/pds_99_1.pdf

CIGNA Foundation is a private foundation funded by contributions from CIGNA Corporation and its subsidiaries. The CIGNA Foundation supports organizations sharing its commitment to enhancing the health of individuals and families, and the well-being of their communities, with a special focus on those communities where CIGNA employees live and work.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.

CIGNA
Judy Hartling, 860-632-8382
judy.hartling@cigna.com