OHA’s Institute for Health Innovation, under a directive of the OHA Board of Trustees and the Board’s Clinical Advisory Committee, developed a multi-faceted set of initiatives to impact change at the hospital level and to support efforts of member hospitals working in their local communities to improve maternal and infant health in Ohio. Through collaborations OHA is working with hospitals and community organizations on several statewide programs. OHA launched the Good4Baby initiative to address infant mortaility in the state with focus areas comprised of safe infant sleep and early elective deliveries. A partnership with the Ohio Department of Health established the state's first recognition program for hospitals committing to breastfeeding programs. OHA is also working with the Ohio Department of Health to lead a national maternal health initiative, the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM).
To help align and coordinate Ohio hospitals’ support of safe sleep practices, OHA’s Safe Sleep is Good4Baby campaign positions hospitals’ health care workers and clinical experts as leaders and advocates of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Ohio Department of Health recommendations for safe infant sleep.
As part of OHA's comprehensive and targeted plan to reduce Ohio's infant mortality rate, hospitals are working to reduce Ohio's high rate of early elective deliveries. Scheduled delivery prior to 39 completed weeks gestation, also known as early elective delivery, is defined as scheduled vaginal delivery or cesarean section (C-section) between 37 and 39 completed weeks of gestation.
OHA and the Ohio Department of Health sponsor the Ohio First Steps for Healthy Babies breastfeeding recognition program. The program recognizes maternity hospitals in Ohio that are taking steps to promote, protect and support breastfeeding in their organizations.
OHA and member maternity hospitals in Ohio are collaborating with the Ohio Department of Health and other state and national organizations to lead statewide strategies to improve maternal health in the state. All Ohio hospitals with licensed maternity services have been partnering with OHA in our maternal and infant health work.