Mission
We
are a statewide partnership of health care professionals
and public and private organizations working to improve
perinatal health in West Virginia.
- We want health care providers to be able to best care
for pregnant women and their babies. - We encourage new laws that promote better health
for pregnant women and their babies. - We create opportunities for perinatal professionals
to share their expertise with each other. - We spread the latest knowledge about perinatal
health through educational programs. - We work to reduce tobacco and drug use
among
pregnant women and foster oral health care in
pregnant women and infants. - We study research and
trends in mother/child
health and work to distribute that information.
West Virginia Ranks Highest In Nation for Infant Mortality Among the White Race
CDC's recently issued National Vital Statistics Report compares infant mortality rates by state for 2004-2006 (See table 3 on page 20). West Virginia ranked about 15th overall among the 50 states plus DC for that time period. However, In terms of the white infant mortality race, West Virginia ranked highest in the nation. When Hispanic ethnicity was accounted for, West Virginia tied 2nd highest for infant mortality compared to non-hispanic white mothers (West Virginia tied with Wyoming behind Oklahoma).
Perinatal Partners Promote Text4baby
West
Virginia Perinatal Partners has become an outreach partner with the National Healthy
Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition to promote an educational program called
text4baby. Launched in February,
2010, text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote
maternal and child health. Text4baby provides pregnant women and new moms
with information to help them care for their health and give their babies
the best possible start in life. Women who sign up for the service by
texting BABY to 511411 (or BEBE in Spanish) will receive free SMS text
messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth
Blueprint to Improve Perinatal Health
In
2006, thirty-three organizations partnered to uncover reasons for
declining healthy birth outcomes in West Virginia and find solutions.
Over 200 perinatal
professionals participated in a Key Informant Survey and 90 contributed in
drafting the results of that study and recommendations: Blueprint
to Improve West Virginia Perinatal Health (2006). Then after a year's worth of focused effort, the Partnership reported on progress
implementing the Blueprint and published
Reports on the Blueprint to Improve West Virginia Perinatal Health
(2007).
West Virginia health care professionals
voiced a strong desire to participate in the process to improve perinatal care. They indicated that although many elements
of a cohesive system are present in the State, we must move
towards a statewide system rather than a fractured regional
approach. We need to utilize new methods of communication,
provide better support for medical professionals in rural areas,
better utilize our intellectual resources, and more fully
implement parent support and education programs. The West
Virginia Perinatal Partnership was born of these desires.
New Study Released on Late Pre-Term Births
The est Virginia Division of Health and Human Resources Health Statistics Center has released a new study on Late Preterm Births 1993-2007. The study reports that the rates of C-section among women with no medical risk factors increased 34.9% (4.3% to 5.8%) between 1993 and 1997 and 2003 and 2007, compared with a smaller increase of 13.0% (10.0% to 11.3%) among women with at least one medical risk factor. Read the report.
Hospitals Honored
Twenty-two hospitals across the Mountain State were honored by the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership for their participation in two initiatives: The West Virginia Obstetrical Collaborative Quality Initiative and the Hospital Self-Assessment Initiative. The awards were given during a special ceremony held during the Fifth Annual Growing Healthy Children Conference, November 12-13, 2009, at the Robert C. Byrd WVU Health Science Division in Charleston. More
The
Marshall University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology announced the
retirement of Robert C. Nerhood, MD, Chair of the department since 1992.
During Dr. Nerhood's tenure as Department Chair, the Residency program in
Obstetrics and Gynecology was solidified as an accredited four year
program. Thirty six physicians have completed the residency program and are
now practicing OB/Gyn physicians in West Virginia and in several other
states. Dr Nerhood's administrative acumen extended to serving as Senior
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Vice President of the Board of
Directors of University Physicians & Surgeons, Inc., Chairman of the Board
of Directors of Cabell Huntington Hospital, Chairman of the West Virginia
Section of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and member and
Chair for the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership.