Regional Partnership Seeks to Decrease Medical Complications in Pregnancy and Childbirth

A program combating pregnancy-related and neonatal diseases and deaths has new funding to support no-cost training for perinatal health care professionals.

The Improving Perinatal Health ECHO program – a collaboration between the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, the New Mexico Perinatal Collaborative and Project ECHO – brings together local and national content experts to conduct multidisciplinary case discussions and provide education and support for those working to improve perinatal outcomes in their local communities.

The program will target perinatal providers in New Mexico, the Four Corners and Southwest border regions.

 

Trevor Quiner, MD
We need to work together to provide all members of the team who care for pregnant people with the tools they need to succeed.”
Trevor Quiner, MD

 

“We are not doing well as a region and as a nation in preventing complications and deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth – we need to do better,” said Trevor Quiner, MD, co-medical director of the Improving Perinatal Health program. “We need to work together to provide all members of the team who care for pregnant people with the tools they need to succeed.”

The program focuses on helping providers implement “perinatal safety bundles,” which serve as roadmaps for improving care. The educational toolkits share resources, including emergency-treatment protocols, training materials, checklists and guidelines for quality improvement.

Health care providers, including physicians, midwives, doulas, pharmacists, community health workers and other health workers, are invited to attend this no-cost virtual learning community from May until December 2022.

Project ECHO began the program in 2019 to address a growing need in rural areas of the Southwest. In 2021, 158 doctors and 460 nurses participated, along with pharmacists, social workers and physician assistants.

The Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company committed to financially supporting the program through 2022, with an expanded reach into west Texas and eastern Arizona.

The program will use the ECHO Model, a tele-mentoring methodology created in 2003 to share expert knowledge. ECHO empowers practitioners and professionals from rural and underserved areas to promote equity and improve the well-being of people where they live by gaining expertise in health care, education and other areas and helping to build local capacity and stronger communities.

Learn more and register for the Improving Perinatal Health ECHO program.

 

About The New Mexico Perinatal Collaborative

The New Mexico Perinatal Collaborative is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary coalition of stakeholders seeking to improve the health of New Mexico’s women, infants and birthing families through the identification and sharing of best practices with perinatal care providers and hospitals statewide.

They partner with diverse perinatal care providers from all areas of the state, including physicians, midwives, nurses, advanced practice clinicians, pharmacists, doulas, lactation consultants, home visitors, community health workers and clinical administrators to improve birth and reproductive health outcomes.

They represent New Mexico within the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health and collaborate with state agency, health system and community partners to leverage data to improve maternal and infant outcomes statewide.

 

About Project ECHO

In 2023, Project ECHO is celebrating 20 years of disseminating knowledge in rural and under resourced areas. Founded and headquartered at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, N.M., Project ECHO empowers local community providers to improve the well-being of people in New Mexico and around the world.

 

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