Congratulations to our Pavilion for Women’s Birth Equity team on their awards and recognition at the recent Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) conference in Chicago.
Since its opening in 1993, the Pavilion for Women has delivered thousands of women in our community. Our focus is to continue to offer care based on the patient’s desires and needs for her delivery. As the community grows around us – so must the unit. Our staff has continued to learn new techniques to care for our patients based on their needs, beliefs, and backgrounds.
Birth Equity is the understanding that ALL people should have the capability for healthy and safe pregnancy and birth. The Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) is a network that focuses on improving the health outcomes and quality of care for our infants and women in Illinois.
In 2021, the ILPQC launched its initiative focusing on Birth Equity. The goal was for hospitals in Illinois to address maternal disparities and promote birth equity. Our team focused on education for physicians and staff related to addressing social determinants of health (SDoH) for women throughout her pregnancy care, collecting quality data to improve equitable care, and engage our patients and community to help improve patient-centered care.
Since the roll-out of this initiative, the ILPQC has opened initiatives focusing on promoting vaginal birth, antibiotic stewardship, and safe sleep. Birth Equity is incorporated into all of these initiatives.
Our unit has created new education documentation focusing on SDoH for our patients, connecting patients and families with resources needed, creating birth plans focusing on patient and family need, and education for our patients and families for a safe home environment for the mom and newborn.