According to
numbers released from IHA and the Indiana State Department of Health earlier
this year, Indiana hospitals have been successful in reducing early elective
deliveries before 39 weeks to a rate of less than three percent, compared to 11
percent in 2012. That translates to about 429 early elective births that were
avoided, thanks to the educational programs and new procedures at these
hospitals, IHA officials said.
“The
significant reduction in Indiana’s early elective delivery rate shows that
hospitals have made tremendous strides in improving the quality of life for
both mothers and their newborns. Hospitals that have implemented a
hard-stop policy have virtually eliminated early deliveries,” said Doug
Leonard, president of the Indiana Hospital Association.
Worldwide, 15
million babies are born too soon each year and more than one million of those
infants die as a result of their early births. Babies who survive an early
birth often face the risk of lifelong health challenges, such as breathing
problems, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities and others. Even babies born
just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than
full-term infants. Recent research by the March of Dimes, the National
Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that
although the overall threat is small, the risk of death more than doubles for
infants born at 37 weeks of pregnancy when compared to babies born at 40 weeks,
for all races and ethnicities.
Through
Strong Start, a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, March of
Dimes has been communicating that “Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait.”
The campaign
urges women to wait for labor to begin on its own if their pregnancy is
healthy, rather than scheduling delivery before 39 completed weeks of
pregnancy.
“The last
weeks of pregnancy are important. Babies aren’t just putting on weight. They
are undergoing important development of the brain, lungs and other vital
organs,” says Minjoo Morlan, associate director of program and public affairs
for the March of Dimes. “I commend IHA and all these hospitals for being a
champion for babies with their quality improvement effort.”
In Indiana,
IHA and March of Dimes Indiana Chapter have partnered to improve the quality of
birth outcomes statewide.
Hospitals Honored:
