Nashville, Tennessee – Jackson Madison County General Hospital has been awarded Gold Banner Awards by Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) for their accomplishments in the two-year Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy (OUD) and Opioid Exposed Newborn (OEN) Projects.
These awards are based on participation, monthly data collection, and noted improvements in implementing best practices of care.
The Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care (TIPQC) is the state sponsored perinatal quality collaborative. Hospital teams volunteer to work on projects to improve the care and outcomes for mothers and babies across the state.
Jackson Madison County General Hospital OUD and OEN teams have worked together to educate staff, decrease stigma, create community resource guides, and create guidelines to facilitate mothers and babies staying together during the birth and care of the newborn with an end goal of discharging mom and baby home together.
Opioid Use Disorder continues to be a leading cause of pregnancy associated maternal mortality. The most recent data in Tennessee shows the impact COVID-19 is also having on this vulnerable population. Drug overdose deaths significantly increased across the state in 2020 as stressors increased and access to many resources became more challenging.
“Having a statewide initiative to address opioid use disorder in pregnancy is critically important. Pregnancy is an opportunity to make significant change and can open the door to long term recovery. Ultimately, by optimizing care during pregnancy and postpartum we can save lives,” stated Jessica Young, MD, MPH, Maternal Medical Director.
“The work in Tennessee is one of the only projects in the nation simultaneously working to improve both maternal and infant outcomes in a single project. To be successful, we have drawn on multiple diverse patient care centers across the state. This has allowed us to incorporate the best ideas from all participants into a comprehensive plan of care for the opioid use disorder mothers and the opioid exposed newborn. We could not have undertaken this project, with our outstanding results, without the efforts of centers like yours” stated Mike Devoe, MD, State Project Director.
(PHOTO: Jackson Madison County General Hospital is honored with banner awards for Opioid Use Disorder during Pregnancy Project and Opioid Exposed Newborn Project)
