Insights

Andrea Thompson is a parent partner on the quality improvement team for the Kingwood Medical Center in Kingwood, TX. Thompson has been extremely active with Kingwood’s breastfeeding support group, as well as its social media efforts to engage mothers. We recently sat down with the mother of a 3-year-old boy, Troy, to find out more about her role as a parent partner.
 

Alaska’s efforts toward risk-appropriate perinatal care began in the 1980s. In recent years, a collaborative that meets monthly is credited for the statewide approach to continued success. In addition to reporting on what’s happening at individual hospitals and clinics, the team reviews state data on infant morbidity and mortality and establishes priorities.

About 80 percent of the women giving birth at CHRISTUS Hospital - St. Elizabeth in Beaumont, TX breastfeed with 50 percent exclusively breastfeeding during their stay. The high rates are a result of considerable efforts to retrain staff, eliminate formula giveaways, prioritize skin-to-skin bonding between mother and baby, and educate pregnant women about the benefits of breastfeeding.
 

Testing ideas is not a new concept—we’ve all employed the process of trial and error at some point. A small test of change, however, transforms trial and error into a disciplined process of trial and learning. 

Testing ideas is not a new concept—we’ve all employed the process of trial and error at some point. A small test of change, however, transforms trial and error into a disciplined process of trial and learning. 

Affecting about 1 in 10 babies born in the United States, preterm birth (i.e., birth before 37 weeks gestation) is a leading cause of infant mortality and a major contributor to long-term disability. 

Washington state is known for having a low rate of infant mortality—fifth lowest in the U.S. But the state is still actively working on reducing infant mortality even further. In fact, leaders in the state are developing an interesting strategy that targets substance abuse.

Tammy Smith's daughter, Precious, often got sick as a baby and she cried—a lot. "One time she was holding her arm and we thought it was broken, but it wasn’t. Another time she couldn't even sit up. She would just cry and cry. The doctors kept giving us medicine, but it didn't help," recalls Tammy.

It's vitally important that parents and other infant caregivers receive consistent and accurate messaging on safe sleep. But unfortunately, expectant families receive a lot of mixed messages. We all need to do a better job translating what the research identifies as best practices into helping families in the day-to-day practice of caring for their infants.

Thousands of infants die each year in unsafe sleep conditions. Sadly, the majority of sleep-related deaths are preventable. One innovative and successful approach to reduce these tragedies is to train law enforcement, fire rescue squads and other first responders to educate families about safe sleep habits.

The saying, “if you can make it here you can make it anywhere,” of New York City, holds true for even its youngest members. New York City’s infant mortality rate—4.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in the first year of life—is nearly 30 percent lower than the U.S. rate. What’s the city’s secret? A multi-pronged, multi-sector approach that taps into the power of collaboration.

When kids with sickle cell disease come to an emergency room (ER) asking for painkillers, the care can sometimes be less than ideal. In a busy ER, there can be long wait times, and, especially with an illness like sickle cell disease that has no visual signs of pain, doctors sometimes question whether a patient is really in a medical crisis or just drug seeking.