Press release:
United Memorial Medical Center is participating in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology landmark effort, the Safe Motherhood Initiative to combat maternal mortality and morbidity in New York State.
The Safe Motherhood Initiative is working with healthcare providers and birthing facilities to develop and implement standard approaches for handling obstetric emergencies such as obstetric hemorrhage (severe bleeding), venous thromboembolism (blood clots), and severe hypertension in pregnancy (high blood pressure).
The project has one goal: to save the lives of women faced with severe complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Close to 99 percent of the nearly 250,000 live births in New York State result in the discharge of a mother and her baby. Yet, there are mothers who die or suffer severe permanent harm. New York State currently ranks 47th in the country for its maternal mortality rate.
Participation in the program is an example of United Memorial’s commitment to patient safety and quality and to the continual improvement and implementation of best practices.
The program will provide maternal safety bundles consisting of clinical education videos, algorithms, step-by-step checklists and other hands-on materials to help obstetric providers adopt uniform clinical protocols to improve the diagnosis, prevention, and management of the leading causes of maternal death.
The program is funded by Merck for Mothers, a 10-year, $500 million initiative focused on creating a world where no woman dies giving life. Additional information may be found at www.merckformothers.com.
United Memorial Medical Center provides obstetric and gynecologic physician services through the Women’s Care Centers located at 33 Chandler Ave. in Batavia and at 100 Ohio St. in Medina. In 2013, approximately 650 new babies were safely delivered at United Memorial.
