Discovery Familia Promotes The Importance Of Prenatal Care Among Hispanic Women

MIAMI, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its annual CAMINO AL BIENESTAR campaign, developed to offer information and resources on a specific health topic each month, in March Discovery Familia will promote the importance of early prenatal health care for Hispanic women in the United States.

The initiative includes a special collaboration with the March of Dimes, whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and other leading causes of infant death. This campaign includes public service announcements starring Latin Grammy Award-winner and mother of two children Thalia, and a series of educational segments hosted by Dr. Selene Velasco, Discovery Familia's health expert, as well as special programming and specific information regarding prenatal care which will be available online at caminoalbienestar.com.

"Despite the rapid increase of the Hispanic population in the United States, it is estimated that 25% of Hispanic women don't receive prenatal care during the first three months of pregnancy," commented Dr. Selene Velasco. "That is why, during March, our campaign CAMINO AL BIENESTAR is dedicated to informing on the importance of prenatal care, and we are honored to be collaborating with the March of Dimes on this mission."

"The March of Dimes and our Spanish-language website nacersano.org have been a trusted source of health information for Hispanic moms, women and families worldwide for nearly 20 years," says Lilliam Sanchez, Director of Hispanic Outreach. "We are proud to work with Discovery Familia and thank them for helping more moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies and healthy babies."

Discovery Familia, the leading network for Hispanic moms, will support and offer a voice for this cause by way of:

• Special programming, which includes the series premiere of EMBARAZADAS SIN CONTROL on March 15^th at 10PM E/P. The show follows a team of women embarking on a tough goal—to convince a group of pregnant women with bad habits (such as over-eating, drinking and smoking) to change their lifestyles before giving birth.
• Public service announcements created by the March of Dimes and delivered by Thalia.
• Educational segments hosted by Discovery Familia health expert Dr. Selene Velasco on topics such as nutrition, foods to avoid during pregnancy and safe food handling.
• The web site caminoalbienestar.com, which will have a section devoted specifically to prenatal care with advice, videos, and infographics with interesting data and information about risk factors. 

To learn more about Discovery Familia's CAMINO AL BIENESTAR campaign, visit caminoalbienestar.com or follow us on facebook.com/discoveryfamilia.

About Camino al bienestar
A year-round campaign, CAMINO AL BIENESTAR is designed to target a specific health topic each month including prenatal care, skin care, breast cancer, men's health, fertility and mental health, among others. The initiative offers timely, objective information about these topics via special programming, educational segments hosted by Dr. Selene Velasco, the microsite caminoalbienestar.com as well as Discovery Familia's Facebook page. 

About Discovery Familia
Part of Discovery Communications, Discovery Familia is the only Spanish-language channel dedicated entirely to Hispanic mothers and the things that matter in their lives: their children, their homes and their time. During the day, the Discovery Kids block provides a safe environment for children aged 2-6 with entertaining, research-based programming to prepare them for the world around them. In the evening, the channel offers programming for moms, focusing on such topics as childcare, the home, food, health and beauty. With trustworthy content and top-quality entertainment, Discovery Familia is a place for Hispanic moms and their children to call "home." For more information, please follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/discoveryfamilia.

About March of Dimes®
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs. Find out how you can help raise funds to prevent premature birth and birth defects by walking in March for Babies at marchforbabies.org.  For the latest resources and information, visit nacersano.org or marchofdimes.com. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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SOURCE Discovery Familia