provided by BAYCARE MEDICAL GROUP
WINTER HAVEN, FLA. — Winter Haven Women’s Hospital has been recognized as a Maternal Levels of Care-verified hospital by The Joint Commission through its collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and support from the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative.
The national verification is awarded to those hospitals who meet comprehensive maternal standards of care based on guidelines established by ACOG that work to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
“We are proud to be recognized for our team’s hard work to continually make the health of moms and babies in our community a priority,” said Nicci Lambert, Director of Patient Services at Winter Haven Women’s Hospital. “This verification is just one more acknowledgement that having the right team in place means the best birth outcomes for mom.”
To achieve this verification, Winter Haven Women’s Hospital voluntarily went through a rigorous independent review to verify that it has the right staff, equipment, resources, and processes in place to provide risk-appropriate maternal care. Verification assures a mother that the hospital has the clinical capabilities and expertise to safely deliver services.
The verification process also includes a comprehensive on-site assessment, evaluation of maternal care capabilities, and a policy compliance review. The verification designated Winter Haven Women’s Hospital as a Level II facility, which means the hospital has demonstrated it can care for low, moderate and high-risk pregnancies along having the ability to detect, stabilize and initiate the management of unanticipated maternal/-fetal or neonatal challenges that occur throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.
“Our hospital has a long history in our community as a place for new moms and their babies to receive extraordinary care and we’re proud of that reputation,” said Tom Garthwaite, president of Winter Haven Women’s Hospital. “This verification illustrates that commitment.”
The goal of the national verification program is to halt, and ideally reduce the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality by encouraging systems to standardize perinatal practices through the delivery of risk-appropriate maternal care.
The Maternal Levels of Care Verification program was developed using guidelines based on the Obstetric Care Consensus jointly established by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. This clinical guidance includes comprehensive uniform definitions, a standardized description of maternity facility capabilities and personnel, and a framework for integrated systems that address maternal health needs. To learn more, visit the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative website.