SLV Health Labor and Delivery Surpasses Benchmarks
SLV Health
Several outstanding members of the OB Labor and Delivery Team from SLV Health are pictured above:
Amy Robertson, MD; Terisa Valdez, RN OB Manager; Sheridan Maestas, RN, Monica Hinds, RN, OB Director; and Krista King, RN
One of the many “behind the scenes” duties of the nurse leaders is to submit data to several organizations. It was noted by SOAR* in Quarter 3 of 2024, that SLVH received the Data Star Award! Along with this recognition is a small monetary award that will go towards education for the outstanding OB staff at SLVH.
Another recognition for SLVH is a low C-section rate for mothers who deliver for the first time. Terisa Valdez was asked to speak about this on a recent virtual panel where she specifically discussed how this can be achieved in a rural hospital setting.
The benchmark is called NTSV, which stands for Nulliparous (first-time delivery) Term (37 weeks or longer) Singleton (one baby) Vertex (head down). The percentage at SLV Health Labor and Delivery was 15.6% which is outstanding, compared to a peer rating (Healthy People) of 23.6%.
She highlighted the following points:
Team awareness
Training of staff in various positions to aid in labor progression and fetal descent
Communication with the patient and healthcare team
The patience of the providers with natural labor
A set of wireless monitors obtained in the last year that help patients get out of bed and move while still monitoring fetal heart rate and contraction pattern
*SOAR is an initiative to support birth hospitals who aim to reduce the variation and disparities in Cesarean deliveries. It stands for SuppOrting vAginal delivery for low-Risk mothers. This is a program from CPCQC: Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative.
Congrats to this team for their diligence and focus! SLVH Labor and Delivery continues to offer excellent care to the San Luis Valley. About 400 babies are delivered at the SLVH Regional Medical Center each year.