Syracuse, NY (March 25, 2019) – Some women are starting to hear more emphasis placed on the risk factors associated with preterm birth when they visit local hospitals and doctors’ offices. It’s part of a new initiative to help identify risk factors for pre-term delivery as soon as possible in pregnant women. According to March of Dimes, one in ten babies is born prematurely in the United States each year.
Led by St. Joseph’s Health with funding through the CNY Care Collaborative, this initiative was first developed in late 2017 and has recently received $250,000 in renewed funding to expand its reach across Central New York.
Participating hospitals and outpatient prenatal care providers receive technical support to update their electronic health records with prompts and data collection fields for information related to four categories of risk factors for pregnant women, including:
- Tobacco Use
- Alcohol Use and Substance Abuse
- Stress Management
- Oral Health
This is the first time many healthcare organizations are using prompts in patients’ electronic health records to identify these risk factors and all at once. This allows doctors to immediately address the issue or refer the patient to another specialist, and instantly updates the patient’s information across the entire system for the clinic or hospital. The team at St. Joseph’s Health will also receive the data to track and report the success of this initiative.
“Babies born prematurely may face serious health problems. This enhancement to electronic health records will help ensure that at-risk patients are receiving the appropriate screenings, assessments and referrals for follow-up care as necessary,” said Dr. Sandra Sulik, Medical Director of Primary Care Services at St. Joseph’s Health. “St. Joseph’s Health is also providing staff at these hospitals and organizations with ongoing education to further enhance the positive impact of the tools that are being implemented.”
Three hospitals and their outpatient clinics were the first to sign up for this program: St. Joseph’s Health, Oneida Healthcare, and Mohawk Valley Health System which includes Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
In Onondaga and surrounding counties, other hospitals, outpatient practices, obstetricians’ offices and private midwiferies are also in talks with St. Joseph’s Health to join this program. In addition, the Onondaga County Health Department, the CNY Regional Perinatal Program, local pharmacies, insurance offices and other community-based organizations are displaying posters and providing other information to raise awareness of this important initiative.
“Any local healthcare organization is welcome to contact St. Joseph’s Health to participate,” said Sulik. “It doesn’t need to be an OB practice. Primary care practices, dental offices, and other organizations that provide healthcare services to pregnant women are all eligible to join.”
While it will be months before significant data from this new effort can be analyzed, St. Joseph’s Health has already been invited to present this initiative at state and national conferences. For more information, visit https://preemiepreventionsjh.org/.
About St. Joseph’s Health
St. Joseph’s Health is a regional non-profit health care system based in Syracuse, NY. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph's Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. St. Joseph’s is ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, a designated Stroke Center and a U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital.” St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians, and is a member of Trinity Health. St. Joseph’s Health is celebrating our 150th Anniversary throughout 2019. For more information on our founding Sisters of St. Francis including Saint Marianne Cope, our legacy and our innovations, visit www.sjhsyr.org/legacy