For the fifth consecutive year, Spectrum Health Pennock has been recognized with a Maternity Care Excellence Award from the Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM).
EAM, a nonprofit group comprised of Michigan’s largest employers and unions, announced the annual awards September 15, recognizing hospitals throughout Michigan that have demonstrated excellence and improvement in maternity care and delivery outcomes.
“We’re very excited to again earn this award and proud of our birthing center nurses, providers and quality team in keeping the safety of our mothers the absolute highest priority,” said Steve Marzolf, chief nursing officer of Spectrum Health Pennock.
Only thirteen hospitals in Michigan earned an excellence award for 2022. This marks the fifth year for the awards. Pennock Hospital in Hastings has earned the distinction each year.
Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville, Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial in Fremont and Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital in Zeeland were also recognized with an excellence award.
The awards are part of EAM’s Maternity Care Project. Created in 2018, the project goals are to decrease the state’s infant mortality rate, reduce the rate of unnecessary C-sections, and be an educational resource for new and expecting parents residing in Michigan.
For the award, hospitals were evaluated in four areas: cesarean rates (less than 23.6% of low-risk deliveries), episiotomy rates (less than 5% of deliveries), elective early delivery rates (less than 5% of deliveries), and maternity care processes (90% or greater). The data is from the 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Survey performed by The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C. based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.
below: Pennock Family Birthing Center nurses
