Philadelphia, PA - In 2021, Chester County Hospital earned national and statewide recognition from the U.S. News & World Report. The Chester County Hospital was evaluated based on how well the hospital performs in childbirth using C-section rates, newborn complication rates, and more.
From Expanding Resources to Addressing Maternal Mortality Rates
However, there’s always room for improvement, which is why hospitals around the country and in Philadelphia in general, continuously work to improve their healthcare services. From how the issue of maternal mortality is being addressed to resources at the new Temple Hospital for Women, here’s what you should know.
New Temple Hospital for Women
When addressing how maternal healthcare can be improved in Philadelphia, the Department of Human Services (DHS) recently discussed their plans for doing just that, alongside leadership from the Women’s Health Caucus and local legislators at the new Temple Hospital for Women. During the discussion, DHS touched on the Wolf Administration’s plans to extend postpartum coverage for birthing parents who are eligible for Medical Assistance due to their pregnancy, as well as issues like improving screenings, follow-up care, and treatment for perinatal and postpartum depression.
The new Temple Hospital for Women, which is slated to open to patients in late 2022, will offer a variety of resources that will focus on women’s healthcare needs, including maternity-focused services. This includes private rooms for mothers and their babies, as well as an expanded neonatal intensive care unit in addition to space for delivery, postpartum, and more. In addition to expanding the health systems’ maternity services, the new hospital will also offer specialty care resources like general surgery.
Addressing maternal mortality
With causes of maternal mortality in women of color including heart conditions, factors like implicit bias and racism can often play a role as well. For example, such bias or racism can prevent doctors from recognizing signs of certain health issues, like heart issues, or other healthcare problems. As a result, this can lead to unnecessary health issues and complications for expectant mothers, or even death. In some instances, a birth injury lawyer may get involved should an issue arise due to medical malpractice on the doctor’s part.
Between the years 2013 and 2018, 73% of pregnancy-related deaths in Philadelphia were in Black women, though they only accounted for 43% of births. To put the issue into perspective, a 2020 report from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee found that over half of the 26 pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented. To address the matter and study how having access to community support services can improve health outcomes for Black women, Maternal Wellness Village will be collaborating with researchers at Temple University. Through the study of two groups, which will both receive a set of resources to support heart health, including care from a physician that has received antiracism training. The second group, however, will also have access to other services offered by Maternal Wellness Village, such as a community-based Black doula.
While Chester County Hospital has received recognition for being a top maternity hospital, there’s always room for improvement throughout the city of Philadelphia when it comes to improving maternal healthcare resources. From addressing maternal mortality in women of color to improving healthcare by expanding resources, the city is undoubtedly making great strides in the field.
