By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

Various organizations in Ellis County have come together for a common cause -- to help battle the rising trend of premature births nationwide and locally.

The united entity, High Expectations, is a recently formed high-risk pregnancy resource network, dedicated to helping local mothers have a healthy pregnancy and birth, said Elaine Rupp, program coordinator.

"We have services available after the birth, and that's good, that's wonderful," Rupp said. "But we want to provide that support so babies are born at better gestation levels, so they're going to have less problems."

The group is comprised of volunteers from several community entities, including Hays Area Children's Center, Early Head Start and Parents as Teachers.

The program also has the support of other local entities, such as Hays Medical Center, Social Rehabilitation Services and High Plains Mental Health Center.

"With pre-term delivery, it's going to touch a lot of different agencies, so we'd like to have better outcomes for mothers, healthier babies," Rupp said.

The program consists of five volunteers and has been working to help educate and support mothers for about a year. The group works to provide mothers with a referral program to educate them about services available, and home visitations to provide any needed support.

High Expectations also strives to provide peer support, putting the mothers in contact with other women who have had similar experiences.

This is where volunteers are needed, and more always are welcome, said Brenda Vitztum, who helps oversee the group.

They also hope to obtain funds, which would allow the group to provide financial assistance to families recuperating from the high cost of premature delivery. Health conditions prior to the birth also often require the woman to miss work, Rupp said.

Provision of dental resources for the mothers-to-be is another goal, because any type of infection sustained during pregnancy increases stress, which can be a risk factor, said Marci Lisman, a group member who works at P.A.T.H.S.

Between 1995 and 2005, the rate of premature births in Kansas increased by 23 percent, Rupp said.

Premature birth is defined as any child with a gestation period of 37 weeks or less.

One possible reason for this increase is the fact mothers are having babies at both an older and a younger age, Vitztum said.

Other risk factors for pre-term deliveries include smoking, drinking, high stress and other unhealthy life choices.

This is cause for concern because pre-term deliveries can result in long-term health issues for the child, she said.

"There are a lot of developmental risks associated with it," Vitztum said.

These risks include vision impairments, bleeding of the brain, breathing problems, underdeveloped organs and learning and other developmental disabilities, she said.

Furthermore, pre-term births are a leading cause of infant mortality and SIDS, Rupp said.

"Every day, we have more and more things telling us that babies need to be in gestation for 38 to 40 weeks," she said. "Part of High Expectations' goals is to have healthy babies and support mothers to have healthy pregnancies."