Statewide Initiative to Reduce Cesarean Section Deliveries

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., January 19, 2018 Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center has committed to participate in a new statewide initiative aimed at reducing primary cesarean section deliveries in low-risk first-time mothers. The quality improvement project is called the Promoting Primary Vaginal Deliveries initiative, or PROVIDE, and was created by the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative (FPQC). The goal of the PROVIDE initiative is to improve outcomes for mothers and newborns by applying evidence-based interventions to promote primary vaginal deliveries at hospitals in Florida and, ultimately, reduce the number of cesareans performed. While a cesarean birth is a lifesaving procedure when vaginal delivery is no longer a safe option, there has been a rise in cesarean rates across the country without associated improvement in health outcomes for women or newborns, said Dr. Cecille Tapia-Santiago, medical director of the Birth Care Center at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and physician champion for the PROVIDE initiative. Cesarean births, or C-sections, can increase the risk of hemorrhage, infection, and cardiac events, as well as psychological stress, longer hospital stays, increased pain, and increased postpartum readmissions. In addition, C-sections are associated with impaired neonatal respiratory function, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and difficulty breastfeeding. Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is one of 45 hospitals across the state to participate in the PROVIDE Initiative. As a participant, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center will strive to reduce the Daytona Beach hospitals cesarean rate, and, ultimately, help the state of Florida match or surpass the national cesarean rate. Delivery by cesarean section has been increasing in Florida, from a low of 21.9 percent in 1996, to a high of 38.1 percent in 2012. In 2014, the national rate of primary cesareans was 26 percent, and Florida had the second highest rates in the U.S. at 31 percent. Cesarean birth reduction is challenging because it is very complex and there are multiple factors that contribute to this challenge, said Becky Vernon, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center director of women and children's services. This collaborative effort with PROVIDE will likely to have the greatest effect on Florida families. By participating, we have the opportunity to implement change and improve the care provided to women and infants. About Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 45 hospital campuses and 8,200 licensed beds in nine states, serving more than 5 million patients annually. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center includes the 327-bed facility in Daytona Beach, as well as Florida Hospital Oceanside with 80 beds in Ormond Beach. Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center and Florida Hospital Oceanside are two of the seven Florida Hospitals in Flagler, Lake and Volusia counties that composes the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital Central Florida Division - North Region has 1,226 beds and more than 7,800 employees.