Salem Hospital is partnering with the March of Dimes to lower the number of babies born too soon.

Salem Hospital is among 100 hospitals nationwide currently working with the March of Dimes in implementing the “39+ Weeks Quality Improvement Service Package” which helps hospitals develop and implement policies and procedures to reduce medically unnecessary (elective) inductions and cesarean deliveries scheduled before 39 weeks of pregnancy. Salem Hospital already has a seven-year track record of preventing the scheduling of deliveries before 39 weeks. “What we started seven years ago, others are just thinking about starting today and we feel honored to be able to share our best practices with them, knowing we are impacting the lives of infants not only in our community, but many others,” said Sarah Horn, Salem Hospital director of women’s and children’s services.

“Every week of pregnancy is critical to a baby’s health,” says Scott Berns, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President and Deputy Medical Director for the March of Dimes. “I commend Salem Hospital for being a champion for babies. Through this partnership, we will reduce the number of early elective deliveries and give more babies a healthy start in life.”

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.

Salem Hospital is proud to make their community aware that they have had a policy in place for the last seven years preventing the scheduling of elective deliveries under 39 weeks gestation which are not medically indicated. “Our team and community have embraced this change and we have had tremendous success,” said Horn.

According to Dr. John Hannig, a Salem Hospital OB hospitalist, “The obstetricians and midwives who deliver at Salem Hospital have always been focused on the health and safety of our moms and babies. Years ago we embraced the hospital’s safety policy of no elective deliveries before 39 weeks. Participating in the March of Dimes initiative helps us to renew our safety efforts and share our success story with the rest of the country.”

“We’re honored to partner with the March of Dimes to give more babies a healthy start in life,” said Marty Enriquez, Salem Hospital VP of Patient Care Services and CNO. “And, we’re proud of our expert team of physicians and nurses and the work they are doing to avoid scheduling elective inductions or caesarean deliveries before 39 weeks of pregnancy.”

“We’re proud to offer the infants born in our community the safest and most appropriate care,” said Horn. “Through teamwork and collaboration we hold one another accountable to doing what is in the best interest of our smallest patients.”

The quality improvement service package is part of the March of Dimes “Healthy Babies are Worth the Wait®” campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of a full-term pregnancy and also is being backed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists through a new federal program called “Strong Start.”

The service package includes professional and consumer education materials about the importance of a full-term pregnancy and the critical development of the brain, lungs and other organs that occur during the last weeks of pregnancy. Included in the service package are data collection tools, information on organizing grand round presentations, access to national quality improvement experts and providers, and other support services.

More information is available at: marchofdimes.com/39weeks and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6XcWBcaliA.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Salem Hospital is part of Salem Health, along with West Valley Hospital, Willamette Health Partners and other affiliated health care organizations offering exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. Visit us at salemhealth.org and facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at youtube.com/salemhealth.