Valley Regional Medical Center Supports Initiatives for Healthier Babies and Reducing Delivery Rates Prior to 39 Weeks of Gestation.
Pictured above are several of our Women’s Services Nurses, Clinical Managers, & Director
Brownsville, Texas –February 14, 2014 – Valley Regional Medical Center has been recognized by the March of Dimes for reducing the number of elective inductions and caesarean deliveries performed before 39 weeks of pregnancy. According to studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Valley Regional Medical Center and other hospitals that institute policies to eliminate non-medically indicated deliveries prior to 39 weeks' gestation may have a positive impact on fetal outcomes.
“The success of Valley Regional Medical Center’s efforts to significantly decrease preventable deliveries prior to 39 weeks is attributable to the obstetricians at our hospital embracing this initiative. We’re proud of our expert team of physicians and nurses for providing high quality patient care to the Rio Grande Valley mothers and their babies,” stated Susan Andrews, Chief Executive Officer at Valley Regional Medical Center.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that early elective deliveries are associated with increased maternal and neonatal complications compared to deliveries occurring after 39 weeks. Even babies born just a few weeks early have higher rates of hospitalization and illness than full-term infants.
“Valley Regional Medical Center’s reduction of elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks ensures that more mothers receive safe, evidence-based care; the decrease in early deliveries may also have a positive effect in their infant’s development. During the last few weeks of pregnancy, babies continue to grow and develop vital organs which is essential to their health,” said Heather Butscher, LMSW, Director of Program Services for the March of Dimes Corpus Christi. “I commend Valley Regional Medical Center and its team of doctors and nurses who have worked together to prevent potential long-term health consequences of delivering a health pregnancy before 39 weeks.”
Through Think 39, a locally driven partnership with area delivering hospitals, NICUs, and maternal child health care providers, the March of Dimes has been telling expectant mothers in South Texas that “Healthy Babies Are Worth the Wait” The campaign urges women to wait for labor to begin on its own if their pregnancy is healthy, rather than scheduling delivery before 39 completed weeks of pregnancy. More information on this initiative is available at marchofdimes.com/39weeks.
In November of 2013, Valley Regional Medical Center opened Brownsville’s first donor human milk depot, a place where lactating women can donate their extra breast milk to help feed premature and critically ill babies. The donated breast milk will be sent to The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin where it is pasteurized and made safe for babies, then dispensed by prescription to hospitals and outpatients throughout the Rio Grande Valley, Texas and beyond.
About Valley Regional Medical Center
Valley Regional Medical Center is conveniently located at the corner of Expressway 77 and Alton Gloor Blvd. With physicians representing over 25 specialties, Valley Regional Medical Center is a leader in a vast array of high quality programs, including advanced diagnostic imaging, interventional cardiac catheterization, open heart surgery, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeries, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, women’s services, pediatric services and neonatal intensive care. Our Emergency Department is designated as a Level III Trauma Center treating a wide range of emergent needs 24 hours a day. For more information on Valley Regional Medical Center’s programs and services, visit our website at www.valleyregionalmedicalcenter.com