Each year in the U.S., 2,500 babies are born with neural tube defects (NTDs). These include such conditions as spina bifida and anencephaly, which can lead to paralysis or even early childhood death.  Many of these birth defects can be avoided by simply remembering to take a multivitamin every day.  A daily dose of 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid before pregnancy and 800 mcg during pregnancy is all it takes.  We’ve been partnering with the March of Dimes to help reduce the rate of birth defects in Arizona, especially among Latina women of childbearing age.  Check out the article, including pictures of the team.

Congratulations to Saidee White, Claudia Sloan, Veronica Perez, Hong Chartrand and Zipatly Mendoza, for their great work on the Folic Acid education and outreach campaign. The team used some unique outreach approaches including a rock band that performed in English and Spanish. The goal was to create a campaign that resonated with the target audience by getting them interested and involved.  Saidee has worked very hard to coordinate the distribution of folic acid vitamins to partners all over the state. If ADHS partners are interested in folic acid materials, they can be ordered from the Warehouse Order Form if they have a citrix account.  If not, partners can visit the website, download an order form and fax it to the warehouse at (602) 442-6867..  Thanks for all your hard work Saidee and the entire Folic Acid Team.