The Center for Maternal and Infant Care at Queen of the Valley Medical Center has been named on the Cal Hospital Compare Maternity Care Honor Roll. This year’s award reflects calendar year 2021 hospital discharge and birth certificate data from hospitals that offer maternity services and participated in the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) Maternal Data Centers. Queen of the Valley Medical Center was among 108 hospitals that met or surpassed the statewide target aimed at reducing births via C-sections in first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies. This year’s award is based on 2021 calendar year hospital discharge and birth certificate data.
“This is a monumental achievement for our program, and I could not be prouder of the team,” said Sarah Juillerat, director of nursing, obstetric and neonatal care at Queen of the Valley Medical Center. “We know that reducing C-section rates starts with a commitment by physicians, nurses, support staff and families to implement new practice standards. The collaboration and communication among the team was amazing and our moms and babies benefitted from this sustained approach to patient care.”
In 2015, the California Health and Human Services Agency began recognizing hospitals that meet the statewide target of C-sections for low-risk births through its Maternity Honor Roll. Recently, CHC changed the NTSV C-section rate threshold for honor roll hospitals from 23.9% to 23.6% to align with the Healthy People 2030 goals.
Every year, approximately 420,250 babies are born in California, and childbirth is the number one reason for hospitalization in the U.S. and California. For mothers, overuse of cesarean sections (C-sections) can result in higher rates of complications like hemorrhage, transfusions, infection, and blood clots. The surgery also brings risks for babies, including higher rates of infection, respiratory complications, neonatal intensive care unit stays, and lower breastfeeding rates.
Over the past seven years, California hospitals have made steady improvement in low-risk C-section rates. As a result of this improvement, an estimated 34,888 low-risk C-sections were avoided during this period, from 2014 to 2021.
Click here to learn more about the Maternity Care Honor Roll.
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