FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:
Reggi Veatch
Senior Communications Manager
veatchr@dfmc.org
410-872-9646

Maryland Patient Safety Center Awarded Funding
to Expand on Innovative Initiative Creating Safer Mother/Infant Care

Elkridge, Md, May 12, 2008 – A successful initiative to make births safer for mothers and babies,  being conducted by the Maryland Patient Safety Center with  25 hospitals in Maryland and the District of Columbia, will continue for another year with funding from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH).

Beginning July 2008, DHMH has committed $469,650 to fund a second phase of one of the nation’s first Perinatal Safety Culture Collaboratives, which focuses on preventing errors in hospital labor and delivery.

“The work being done by these hospitals is having such an impact, that we believe it must be continued,” said Bonnie S. Birkel, CRNP, MPH, Director, Maryland DHMH Center for Maternal and Child Health.  “We also look forward to helping create a strong Perinatal Collaborative to build on the work that has been done during the past year.”

Nearly every Maryland hospital with an obstetrics unit is participating and sharing best practices through this initiative, representing more than 50,000 deliveries per year in Maryland and the District of Columbia.  Since its launch in 2007, hospitals have played an active role in this landmark program, which includes piloting and implementing a variety of changes in practice tailored to each hospital’s individual needs. 

 “The real power of this initiative is the learning and sharing of safety improvements among hospitals,” said William Minogue, M.D., Executive Director, Maryland Patient Safety Center.

“Together, these hospitals are advancing the highest quality of care for mothers and babies.  We are very pleased that DHMH is funding the expansion of this important patient safety project.”

# # #

About Maryland Patient Safety Center
The Maryland Patient Safety Center, a joint venture of the Maryland Hospital Association and the Delmarva Foundation, was created by the legislature and established by the Maryland Health Care Commission in 2004.  The Center brings together hospitals and health care providers to improve patient safety and health care quality for all Marylanders. The goal of the Patient Safety Center is to make Maryland's health care the safest in the nation by focusing on the systems of care, minimizing the occurrence of adverse events, and improving the culture of patient safety in Maryland health care facilities.

The activities of the Maryland Patient Safety Center are offered at no charge to Maryland and District of Columbia health care providers and are funded by the Maryland Hospital Association, the Delmarva Foundation, Maryland hospitals, and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield with additional financial assistance from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and various private sources.  For further information, visit www.marylandpatientsafetycenter.org

About the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA)
MHA is a membership organization for Maryland hospitals and health systems. Its membership is comprised of community and teaching hospitals, health systems, specialty hospitals, veterans hospitals, and long-term care facilities. For more information, visit www.mdhospitals.org.

About Delmarva Foundation
Delmarva Foundation is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in over 20 states. Since 1973, Delmarva has assisted in improving care in hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, medical practices and health plans. Delmarva performs quality improvement, quality assurance, utilization review, external quality review and Program Safeguard activities. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Easton, Maryland with other offices in Baltimore, Maryland; Washington, DC; Columbia, South Carolina; Tampa, Florida; and Tallahassee, Florida. For more information, please visit Delmarva Foundation on the web at www.delmarvafoundation.org.