-- Babies born in the U.S. are twice as likely to die than those born in
many other developed countries, including Sweden, Japan and Spain; the U.S.
is ranked 36th among 196 nations.(1)
-- The infant death rate in the U.S. is one in 141 live births within the
first 28 days of life, with the odds decreasing to one in 531 after the 28
days.(2)
-- There are approximately 20,000 newborn deaths within their first month
of life and close to 30,000 in the first year.(3)
The creation of R Baby
Phyllis and Andrew Rabinowitz, the founders of R Baby, lost their daughter
Rebecca Ava Rabinowitz when she was nine days old as a result of a viral
infection that was not diagnosed or treated.
Motivated by their grief, the Rabinowitz's researched not only the
specifics of their daughter's case, but also learned that many babies may
be at greater risk as a result of lack of information, training,
technology, equipment and procedures associated with treating infants in
emergency rooms and pediatric units. Unwilling to accept the status quo,
the couple began contacting friends about the possibility of developing an
organized effort and formal foundation to focus specifically on the issue
of infant mortality related to untreated viral infections, the cause of
Rebecca's death.
"Our wish is simple: to save as many infants' lives as possible," said
Andrew Rabinowitz, co-president of the new foundation and chief operating
officer of Marathon Asset Management. "While we intend to help all infants
in intensive care, our primary mission will be to focus on the proper
diagnosis and treatment of newborn babies with viral infections so that
they receive the highest possible quality of care. We'll do this through
supporting education, research, training and the funding and provisioning
of life-saving equipment."
Phyllis and Andrew Rabinowitz gave birth to daughter Rebecca, four weeks
early on July 13, 2006, in a suburb of New York City. After five days in
the hospital, Rebecca was sent home and shortly thereafter showed symptoms
of a viral infection that was misdiagnosed by her pediatrician and ER
physicians as just a common cold. She died eight days later on the morning
of July 21, 2006.
"We received an outpouring of support," said Phyllis Rabinowitz,
co-president of R Baby. "It was overwhelming. Not only did our friends,
families and business colleagues step up to help, organizations and
individuals, including physicians and researchers, all rallied to help us
establish a focused effort to highlight the issue and drive the funding
that will be required to have a short and long-term impact on improving
outcomes -- saving babies' lives."
"Almost 20 years after the United States set a goal of reducing infant
mortality, the rate of deaths among infants is still extremely high. In
fact, the rate of deaths in the U.S. is higher than in some nations in the
developing world. Access to appropriate pediatric evaluation and emergency
care, upgrades to equipment, and more adequate training -- all things R
Baby is focused on delivering -- can really make a difference," said Dr.
Ian Holzman, Chief of Newborn Medicine at Mt. Sinai.
Contributing to R Baby
R Baby Foundation is seeking private and institutional contributions,
primarily through a one-time fundraising event to be held at the Mandarin
Oriental Hotel in New York City on May 2, 2007. The organization is hoping
to finance the creation of a non-profit organization focused on programs
including: upgrading monitors, respirators and other equipment, funding
scientific research, developing educational programs, creating and
distributing training materials, and supporting and educating parents with
babies in Newborn Intensive Care Unit facilities.
R Baby Founding Sponsors
R Baby has also already attracted substantial support in the form of
advisory services, donations and board participation, from prominent
individuals in the financial, philanthropic, scientific, and medical
communities, such as John J. Mack, Chairman and CEO of Morgan Stanley as a
supporter, Marathon Asset Management, a global hedge fund, as a premiere
sponsor with a significant financial commitment, and other global
investment banks and professional service firms to be named. Other
organizations have provided support and guidance, such as Lowenstein
Sandler PC for legal services, Brunswick Group LLC for public relations,
Richard Fleishman Associates and WestCom for website and communication
development.
ABOUT R BABY FOUNDATION
R Baby Foundation was established in 2006 to organize and fund efforts to
improve the outcomes of medical care for infants, particularly those who
contract certain viral infections. The R Baby Foundation is dedicated to
helping newborn babies, primarily in their first month, with often
misunderstood viral infections and other infectious diseases, receive the
highest quality of care and service through supporting education, research,
treatment, training, and life-saving equipment. R Baby has filed for
501(c)(3) tax-exempt status as a non-profit charitable organization. For
more information about R Baby Foundation, please visit
www.rbabyfoundation.org.
(1) WebMD (2) WebMD (3) World Health Organization
Contact Information: Contacts: Nina Devlin / Ellen Gonda Brunswick Group 212.333.3810 rbaby@brunswickgroup.com