Connections: March 2024 - 10

Addressing
gaps in
maternal care
Maternal mortality is
an issue that we read
about often. Dartmouth
Health is taking steps
to improve care and
reduce disparities.
Dartmouth Health and the New
Hampshire Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS)
are taking a significant step toward
addressing maternal mortality and
morbidity with the launch of the New
Hampshire Perinatal Quality Collaborative
(NHPQC). Led by a team from Dartmouth
Health Population Health and the DHHS
Maternal and Child Health Program, the
NHPQC aims to improve access to high-quality
perinatal care and significantly reduce disparities
for pregnant individuals and infants in the state.
A newly released State of Maternal Health Report
has helped the NHPQC recognize that poor outcomes
disproportionately impact individuals based on race/
ethnicity, rurality, income level and insurance status, and the
Collaborative aims to bridge these gaps.
" In an innovative approach, the Collaborative is partnering
with communities across the region to ensure all voices
are at the table to craft the best approaches for addressing
gaps to improve maternal care and outcomes, " says Julie S.
Bosak, DrPH, CNM, director of Regional Community Health at
Dartmouth Health and director of the NHPQC.
The NHPQC will also support initiatives such as the
implementation of AIM bundles, a national program of
the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in
collaboration with the Northern New England Quality
Improvement Network and DHHS. Additionally, the NHPQC will
prioritize underserved and marginalized communities, with a focus
on community-driven approaches for implementing nationally
recognized best practices in perinatal care.
The State of
Maternal Health
New Hampshire
report has helped
the newly formed
New Hampshire
Perinatal Quality
Collaborative
(NHPQC) learn how
best to approach
gaps in perinatal
care and address
maternal mortality
and morbidity.

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/ https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/population-health/maternal-child-health https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt476/files/documents2/state-of-maternal-health-nh-feb-2024.pdf https://saferbirth.org/patient-safety-bundles/ https://www.nnepqin.org/ https://www.nnepqin.org/

Connections: March 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Connections: March 2024