Leading the way to reduce chronic lung disease in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome.
In 2021, the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) will launch the statewide obstetric quality improvement initiative, Birth Equity (BE). This is an important statewide quality improvement initiative selected by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Statewide Quality Council (SQC) and Perinatal Advisory Committee to engage hospital teams to implement strategies to address maternal health disparities and promote birth equity. Birth equity is the assurance of the conditions of optimal births for all people with a willingness to address racial and social inequities in a sustained effort.
ILPQC will work alongside hospital teams to achieve
this goal through: addressing social determinants of health during prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care; utilizing race/ethnicity medical record and quality data; engaging patients, support partners, and communities with a focus on patient-centered care; and engaging and educating providers, nurses, and staff to improve birth equity.
The following list of resources has been aggregated for those interested in learning more about birth equity. As a part of CMQCC’s Birth Equity Collaborative, participating hospitals have identified the framework and resources below as useful in beginning conversations about birth equity on their units. We at CMQCC are not experts in birth equity, and would like to highlight and amplify the work of the Black-led organizations and leaders who created these resources. Whenever possible, we have hyperlinked to the original source.
To support hospitals implementing the Maternal Equity Bundle, PNQIN hosts monthly webinars to share hospital aggregate data, hear from equity expert guest speakers, and encourage peer learning and collaboration.
PNQIN is proud to offer online stigma, bias, and trauma-informed care training in partnership with the BWH C.A.R.E. Clinic.