Members of the Tyler chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. stand for a photo Saturday at the March of Dimes March for Babies at the Rose Rudman Trail in Tyler. Hosted by the Tyler chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the Healthy Me Healthy Babies Coalition, the annual community walk raises money for research to reduce preterm births, death rates and birth defects.

Vanessa Adams came out to Rose Rudman Trail in Tyler with her 22-month-old daughter Rayne on Saturday to support improving health outcomes for mothers and their babies at the March of Dimes March for Babies.

Adams, of Tyler, who works for Northeast Texas Public Health District Woman Infants and Children, said she has friends who’ve had babies born premature.

“(My friend’s) baby was premature,” she said. “I know it was really rough for her, and I do believe our moms need someone’s help to go through that.”

She also wanted her daughter to see the importance of supporting mothers and a good cause.

“It’s a good organization that helps our moms and babies in the local community and around the world, especially when they’re in the NICU,” Adams said.

Adams was one of the dozens who came to support the annual community walk that raises money for research to reduce preterm births, death rates and birth defects.

Hosted by the Tyler chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and the Healthy Me Healthy Babies Coalition, the annual community walk has continued to grow since the event returned to Tyler in 2016.

Dorinda Williams, chairperson and coordinator for March of Dimes in Tyler and Tyler chapter second vice president for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., said in the second year the sorority partnered with the Healthy Me Healthy Babies Coalition.

According to the national March of Dimes, Texas has a D on the organization’s report card regarding the state’s health of mothers and babies, such as premature pregnancies and death rates.

By the end of the walk Saturday, the donations totaled nearly $5,000, but people can continue donating through June 30 at marchforbabies.org/event/tyler. This year’s goal for the Tyler area is $8,000.

“Each year, the numbers increase with our walk. Our goal that we set to raise steadily increases,” Williams said. “We’re trying to get a really high rate of our donations with our community so we can help give back.”

Tecora Smith, NET Health WIC director, said in 2015, March of Dimes shared startling statistics showing a significant number of disparities. The most alarming statistic was the high number of moms delivering their babies before 37 weeks, which is considered a premature birth.

“We noticed our African American women were two times more likely to deliver a preterm baby and also die at childbirth,” Smith said. “They asked to come in and form the Healthy Me Healthy Babies Coalition and we’ve been partnering to find programs that help to support moms during their pregnancy journey so that they can deliver to full term.”

Smith said the coalition noticed the need to find more resources for mothers and increase awareness about prenatal services, nutrition, breastfeeding, home-visiting for moms and postpartum care.

Over the years, Healthy Me Healthy Babies Coalition has partnered with Tyler Family Circle of Care, Christus Trinity Mother Frances, UT Health East Texas, Healthy Start and Nurse-Family Partnership to make mothers aware of helpful programs and resources.

“What we’ve found as a community providing those wrap-around services, we’re going to see improvements in our birth outcomes,” Smith said, adding that she hopes Texas can reach an A grade from March of Dimes soon.

Smith noted the importance of moms receiving care after childbirth as mothers could experience hypertension, heart conditions, depression or an embolism at this time.

“It’s important that we’re checking on our moms, not only before they become pregnant, during the pregnancy but also after when we see most of those complications,” she said.

The goal of March of Dimes is to ensure moms are receiving equitable and affordable care no matter their race, color or creed, Smith said.

“They receive the same care that they deserve, whether when they’re going for appointments or after they deliver,” Smith said. “A lot of our funding goes toward research trying to figure out how we can decrease our preterm births. Prematurity is the number one cause of death for our infants.”

The coalition also focuses on mothers across generations, such as communicating with moms who’ve delivered preterm babies and encouraging women in their child-bearing years to attend their annual check-ups, Smith said.

She explained how having a father who is present for the mother and child can improve birth outcomes as well.

“We’re encouraging fathers to be with that mom during pregnancy whether it’s going to appointments or supporting her by helping with the baby after delivery, getting the nursery together,” Smith said.

Healthy Me Healthy Babies Coalition will host a prematurity awareness luncheon in November.