Benefit Auction for Kadlec a Success

Since 1980, there has been a thirty-six percent increase in the number of premature babies born, nationwide.[1] Heather Usko’s service learning project addresses this problem, by raising funds to increase access to treatment for “premee” babies and their mothers in the Walla Walla Valley. Saturday night’s benefit dinner and silent auction at the Marcus Whitman Hotel, organized by Usko, was a shining success. Approximately 90 guests attended to bid on over 30 items, including several bottles of wine, fine jewelry, 5 hours of service at Immortal Ink tattoo parlor, as well as a painting and an array of cookies made by Usko herself. Music for the event was provided by Froghollow band and accompanied by enthusiastic dancing.

If this seems like a lot of work to pull off on one’s own, don’t worry; Usko’s family was highly involved in making the event a success. Usko’s mother and cousin helped set up and her boyfriend played in the band. She barely even needed us AmeriCorps volunteers. I don’t know yet how much money was made from the auction, but donations at the entrance to the venue alone totaled about 150 dollars. Add this to profits from the band’s tee-shirt sales and you have quite a successful fundraiser.

Funds will go towards a proposal for expanding the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. The proposal hopes to provide for: A 12,000 square foot addition to the NICU, twelve more bassinets (for a total of 27), as well as several private rooms with sofa beds for parents. Costs for the proposal are estimated at 11.4 million. Kadlec is the only Level III NICU in the region, and it has been operating at 83% capacity since 2008, which is well above the state-recommended occupancy guidelines. The center serves over 430 babies a year and employs two full time neonatologists with 40 years of combined experience.

An interesting tidbit of information:

The reasons behind the rise in premature births are not yet fully understood. However, I recently saw a video from the PBS special Unnatural Causes which provides an intriguing and thought-provoking explanation. This seven-part documentary series explores racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health. The second part in the series, entitled, “When the Bough Breaks,” addresses this question: Can racism become embedded in the body to the point at which it affects birth outcomes? The answer, according to the researchers interviewed, is yes. Statistics show that black woman are about 10% more likely than their white counterparts to give birth prematurely, regardless of economic status. The researchers theorized that chronic stress resulting from accumulated racial discrimination throughout one’s life can actually induce early labor. Although more research certainly needs to be done to determine the validity of this claim, it is stunning nonetheless.

For more information on PBS’s Unnatural Causes, go to http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/.

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[1] Kadlec Foundation fact sheet