In January 2021, the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC) launched the Safe Births Initiative, continuing past improvement work related to hemorrhage and hypertension. Today, the Initiative also serves as a vehicle for focusing on a new goal: reducing Louisiana’s low-risk first time Cesarean delivery rate. With these outcomes in mind, the goal of Safe Births is to help hospitals implement practices that promote safe, equitable, and dignified birth for all birthing persons in Louisiana. LaPQC uses the following definitions to guide this work:
- a safe birth is one where evidence-based best practices are employed by health care providers at all levels in an effort to increase readiness, decrease response time, and ensure high quality communication across a care team;
- an equitable birth is one where best practices are not only employed with every patient, every time, but that birthing persons of color – particularly Black and African American birthing persons – are given access to the life-saving and sustaining resources they need throughout the birthing process;
- a dignified birth is one where, throughout the birth process, birthing persons experience timely and accurate communication with their health care providers, are acknowledged as informed health care consumers, and are included in decision-making about their health care.
Participating Birthing Facilities
A total of 42 Louisiana birthing facilities are participating in the LaPQC Safe Births Initiative, covering over 96% of births in Louisiana:
- Acadian Medical Center
- Baton Rouge General Medical Center
- Beauregard Health System
- CHRISTUS Health Shreveport Bossier
- CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital
- CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini
- East Jefferson General Hospital
- Franklin Foundation Hospital
- Iberia Medical Center
- Jennings American Legion Hospital
- Lafayette General Medical Center
- Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women
- Lakeview Regional Medical Center
- Lane Regional Medical Center
- Minden Medical Center
- Natchitoches Regional Medical Center
- North Caddo Medical Center
- North Oaks Medical Center
- Northern Louisiana Medical Center
- Ochsner Baptist Medical Center
- Ochsner LSU Health Monroe
- Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport
- Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge
- Ochsner Medical Center – Kenner
- Ochsner Medical Center Westbank
- Ochsner St. Anne
- Ochsner St. Mary
- Opelousas General Hospital
- Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center
- Our Lady of The Angels Hospital
- Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital
- Slidell Memorial Hospital
- St. Francis Medical Center
- St. Tammany Parish Hospital
- Terrebonne General Medical Center
- Thibodaux Regional Medical Center
- Touro Infirmary
- Tulane Health System- Lakeside
- West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital
- West Jefferson Medical Center
- Willis-Knighton Bossier Health Center
- Willis-Knighton Health System South
- Willis-Knighton Pierremont Health Center
- Woman’s Hospital