From showers to brunches: A New Orleans hospital works to improve maternal health

Maternal health remains a nationwide challenge, but Louisiana fares worse than most other states.

The March of Dimes gave Louisiana an “F” in its maternal health report card, citing the state’s high pre-term birth rate and infant mortality rate.

Dr. Takeisha Davis, president and CEO of New Orleans East Hospital, says infant mortality and pregnancy-related complications are especially troubling in her community.

“We have a high rate of preventable comorbidities for maternal issues like hypertension, preeclampsia, diabetes,” Davis tells Chief Healthcare Executive®.

The hospital opened in 2014, nine years after the devastation that came with Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans East Hospital doesn’t have a labor and delivery unit. But the hospital is engaged in a number of creative efforts to help patients avoid complications and give babies a better chance at healthier lives.

Davis points to value-based programs with payers to help improve maternal health.

“If we are to provide preventative care and actually reduce the high cost comorbidities that women have, that it helps both of us, helps the patient, but also helps keep our costs down in health care,” Davis says.

The hospital recognized it has to offer women who are at higher risk of complications, including those with high blood pressure and diabetes.

The hospital launched a maternal fetal medicine clinic and brought specialists into the area so that women wouldn’t have to travel more than 45 minutes to get those services. She says those services have continued to grow.

Davis also points to efforts to help give pregnant patients the knowledge they need to reduce their risks of complications.

New Orleans East has worked with insurance companies and nonprofit organizations to host baby showers at the hospital. Those showers offer education and the chance for patients to get safety tools, including car seats.

But she says the showers give education “in a fun atmosphere.”

The hospital has also started a brunch series, called “PrEpare Her,” to offer another way to engage those in the community.

Davis says the goal is to reach patients who are expecting and those at greater risks of complications. But she says the series is also designed to reach those “who may be thinking about becoming pregnant.”

The brunches connect community members with obstetricians to provide education on how to be healthy.

“We are looking at all the ways that we can provide both education and access to women to try to help to tackle this burden of increased infant mortality and maternal mortality,” she says. “And I think that as we continue to grow and work with our birthing platforms, we are hopeful that we'll start to see that number decrease.”

While New Orleans East doesn’t have a maternity ward, the hospital does deliver babies in the emergency department from time to time, since it’s the closest facility for some patients. Some residents don’t have easy access to other hospitals in and around the city with labor and delivery units.

The hospital works with a Louisiana state program to ensure its emergency physicians are well-trained in delivering babies.

“Babies are coming when they're coming, and so if mom shows up to the emergency department, you want to make sure that there are trained physicians and nurses there to ensure a safe delivery and to get that mom and baby right to the next level of care,” Davis says.