Mary Lambert Performs at R Baby Fundraiser at Hammerstein

Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 3 MIN.

On July 23 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, Mary Lambert and of celebrities from the world of music that include A Great Big World, rocker Ryan Star, Hannah Bronfman and recording artist DJ Cassidy will perform to raise funds at R Baby Foundation's Rockin' to Save Babies Lives benefit concert.

"The state of emergency healthcare in the United States is critically lacking for babies," explains Andrew Rabinowitz, co-founder and President of the R Baby Foundation. "Infant mortality and lack of preparedness in non-pediatric emergency departments continue to be worldwide issues. Emergency Room doctors spend only 8 percent of their training in pediatric emergencies; yet up to one-third of their future patients will be children. We are focused on providing healthcare for children that gives our community and all R (our) babies the best chance to be diagnosed and treated correctly."

Since its inception, R Baby Foundation has raised over $7 million towards critical improvements in pediatric emergency education, training and equipment at the nation's top hospitals and children's hospitals including CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), Yale University Medical Center, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, Mt. Sinai, Johns Hopkins, Denver Children's Hospital and many more.

While funding programs at top children's hospitals, R Baby also supports education and training for the hundreds of doctors in non-children's hospitals nationwide to ensure that babies and children are cared for in *any* emergency department. R Baby has made tremendous strides towards nationwide standardization of pediatric emergency rooms including lobbying for a clear definition and system-wide benchmarks.

Lambert will be performing with her friends Great Big World, DJ Cassidy and Ryan Star, all of whom are happy to donate their time and talents for this important cause.

"Lack of health care in our country is an epidemic. There's a lot of views on how to make it better and lot of people in suits bickering back and forth but I believe poor health care for our children should never be a consequence for lack of action in policy," said Lambert. "That's why I support the R Baby Foundation."

R Baby Foundation was founded in 2006 by Andrew and Phyllis Rabinowitz after the untimely death of Rebecca Ava Rabinowitz at just nine days old. After a misdiagnosis in an emergency room where doctors dismissed her symptoms as a common cold when in fact, the newborn was battling a life-threatening virus, the Rabinowitz Family turned their tragedy into action.

Facing insurmountable sadness but armed with shocking information about the state of emergency healthcare for infants in the country (startling statistics revealed that 1 in 141 babies -- 30,000 -- die each year in the United States) Phyllis and Andrew joined an esteemed group of medical professionals to address and correct the critical flaws in the emergency pediatric healthcare landscape in the United States.

To date, R Baby Foundation has raised over $7 million dedicated to ensuring that babies receive the highest quality of care and service through supporting life-saving pediatric training, education, research, treatment and equipment. The monies raised have funded several substantial grants in training and tools at the nation's top hospitals and have supported groundbreaking lobbying efforts for standardization of pediatric emergency rooms in the United States.

"We are joining together for both an important cause which is to improve healthcare for babies and for a rockin' good time," said Rabinowitz. "We are incredibly fortunate to have five fantastic artists who share our passion for improved healthcare for children. This will be a night to remember for a very special purpose."

Tickets start at $100 and will directly fund R Baby Foundation's proven emergency healthcare programs for babies and children in the United States and beyond its borders. A large portion of the cost of each ticket is tax-deductible.


by Winnie McCroy , EDGE Editor

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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