St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center Receives Perinatal Award of Excellence
The Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (OPQIC) acknowledged nine hospitals that are creating a culture of excellence in perinatal care for Oklahoma mothers and newborns. The Spotlight Hospital Awards were presented at the fourth annual summit of the collaborative in Oklahoma City. Approximately 215 providers of maternal and infant care came together at the event to discuss continued efforts to improve outcomes for Oklahoma mothers and babies, and to celebrate success from their ongoing work.
Hospitals receiving the Spotlight Hospital Awards were recognized for participation and sustained improvement in the areas of:
- Early elective deliveries (inducing labor and scheduling cesarean births before 39 weeks without a medical reason)
- Education to prevent abusive head trauma (commonly known as shaken baby syndrome)
- Modeling and promoting safe sleep practices
- Accurate newborn screening
- Creating an environment that is supportive of best practices in maternity care and breastfeeding
- Preparedness for obstetrical emergencies (such as hemorrhage and preeclampsia) through training, guidelines and hospital resources
"We are proud to be recognized for promoting a culture of quality care for infants and their mothers,” says Krista Roberts, CEO at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. “We celebrate our BirthPlace team, under the leadership of Malinda Isbell, RNC-OB, BSN, and Chris Lee, DO, for achieving this award as a result of their continued focus on safe perinatal care."
OPQIC launched in 2014 with a mission to provide leadership and engage interested stakeholders in a collaborative effort to improve the health outcomes for Oklahoma women and infants using evidence-based practice guidelines and quality improvement processes. OPQIC works with Oklahoma birthing hospitals and perinatal care providers of all types to improve perinatal care of Oklahoma mothers and newborns by collaborating with partners to identify and remove barriers to providing safe, quality perinatal care.
Partners in the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative include: March of Dimes, Oklahoma City-County Health Department, Tulsa Health Department, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma Hospital Association, Oklahoma State Department of Health and County Health Departments, and University of Oklahoma Departments of OB/GYN and Pediatrics.