Award recognizes commitment to improved maternal and infant outcomes
St. Francis Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare, received the Maternal Data Center Superstar Award from the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) [https://www.cmqcc.org/]. The award recognizes the hospital’s high degree of consistency and compliance with submission and utilization of maternity care data to improve maternal and infant outcomes.
The hospital’s participation with CMQCC contributes to the generation of real-time data on maternal care core measures. The information provided by St. Francis and other participating hospitals supports the development of performance metrics, statewide benchmarks, and evidence-based quality improvement initiatives to reduce preventable morbidity, mortality and racial disparities in California maternity care.
St. Francis Medical Center’s Senior Director of Women’s and Children’s Services Gwinette Cowan, MSN, RN, said, “St. Francis has been doing important work to eliminate disparities in maternal care. Our participation with CMQCC facilitates the advancement of best practices that can be implemented across the state and promotes equity of care for all women.”
Southeast Los Angeles, the community St. Francis serves, has historically faced healthcare access challenges. St. Francis is committed to removing these barriers. In fact, in the midst of recent area hospital maternity center closures, St. Francis Medical Center has enhanced its comprehensive maternity and newborn services, which are provided in a facility devoted to caring for moms and babies, the Family Life Center. Services encompass prenatal, childbirth and postpartum care, a level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), high-risk maternal-fetal medicine and a dedicated Obstetric Emergency Department, which the hospital opened in 2022.
Cowan said, “In addition to our collaboration with CMQCC, over the last two years we have further focused our efforts to individualize care for each family that chooses to deliver at St. Francis through partnerships with Cherished Futures, First 5 LA, Black Equity Coalition, Department of Health Services and Child Protection Services. Together we are working on the formation of a patient advisory council specifically for maternity services. The goal is to ensure every mother, baby and support person receives individualized care throughout the birthing process and postpartum period.”
This focus has enabled the hospital to enhance its timely treatment of hypertension and increase awareness and training on individualized needs and pregnancy-related health issues more common among specific groups of women.
As Cowan shared news of the award with hospital leaders, physicians, and staff, she highlighted its significance. “We are very proud to receive the CMQCC award, not only because it recognizes our healthcare team’s dedication to excellence and commitment to providing the safest and highest quality care for mothers and newborns, but also because it acknowledges the vital strides being made in collaboration with other hospitals and organizations to ensure care for women and infants is a top priority.”
