For Immediate Release: Oct. 22, 2015
Contact:
Susie Wallace, Director of Communications
Oklahoma Hospital Association
swallace@okoha.com
(405) 427-9537
Tony Sellars, Director of Communications
Oklahoma State Health Department
TonyS@health.ok.gov
(405) 271-5601 x56402
Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative Recognizes Efforts to Improve
Outcomes for Oklahoma Mothers and Babies
Eleven Oklahoma hospitals recently received awards for providing excellence in perinatal care
from the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative. The awards were presented at
the second annual summit of the collaborative in Oklahoma City. Approximately 200 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, participation in a new improving maternal outcomes project, and supporting women in
breastfeeding.
Receiving hospital “Spotlight” awards were:
Chickasaw Nation Medical Center, Ada
Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton
Hillcrest Medical Center, Tulsa
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, Oklahoma City
INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Medical Center, Enid
INTEGRIS Health Edmond
Saint Francis Hospital, Tulsa
Saint Francis Hospital South, Tulsa
Stillwater Medical Center
The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, Oklahoma City
OU Medical Center Edmond
In addition, Mary Anne McAffree, MD, neonatologist at The University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center, Oklahoma City , received the Warren M. Crosby Champion for Maternal and
Infant Health Award for going above and beyond to display exemplary effort to improve
outcomes for mothers and babies in the local community and statewide.
Terry Cline, PhD, commissioner of health and secretary of health and human services,
commended the group for excellent work in infant mortality reduction programs and encouraged
them to continue their efforts to improve the health of mothers and babies in Oklahoma. Event
participants were encouraged to carry on this important work by implementing strategies that are
proven to affect outcomes positively within their own practices as well as contributing to the
statewide efforts.
Chad Smith, MD, medical director of the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement
Collaborative, congratulated the hospitals saying, “Your efforts have made a significant
contribution to improving the safety of care for mothers and infants in Oklahoma. As we
continue this work together, we look forward to ensuring Oklahoma families receive safe, quality
care no matter where they give birth.”
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.
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The Oklahoma Hospital Association represents more than 135 hospitals and health care entities across
the state of Oklahoma. OHA’s primary objective is to promote the welfare of the public by leading and
assisting its members in the provision of better health care and services for all people. For more
information, go to www.okoha.com.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters
nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of
babies. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on
Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
The Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (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. The Office of Perinatal Quality
Improvement at OUHSC administers the activities of OPQIC. Visit opqic.org for more information.
The Office of Perinatal Quality Improvement at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,
Oklahoma City, has worked with Oklahoma birthing hospitals for 31 years to improve maternal and
infant care for Oklahoma families by providing education, maximizing resources and collaborating with
partners to identify and remove barriers to providing safe, quality perinatal care.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health’s “Preparing for a Lifetime, It’s Everyone’s Responsibility” is
a statewide initiative to improve birth outcomes and reduce infant deaths in Oklahoma and focuses on
seven specific areas: preconception and interconception care (being healthy before and between
pregnancies), tobacco use prevention, prematurity, postpartum depression, breastfeeding, infant safe
sleep, and infant injury prevention. Using state and community-based level partnerships, strategies
include public education, policy change, and support of health care providers and birthing hospitals
through training and technical assistance.