Advocate South Suburban Hospital Recognized for Maternal Care

The Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) recently presented Advocate South Suburban Hospital with its Sustainability Champion Award in recognition of the hospital’s important role in reducing maternal deaths and complications related to hypertension in pregnancy, by 41 percent in Illinois.

Advocate South Suburban merited this honor by participating in the ILPQC’s statewide Maternal Hypertension Initiative and exceeding national Time-to-Treatment guidelines. National guidelines require pregnant mothers with severe hypertension to receive treatment within 60 minutes of discovery. In 2018, expecting mothers with severe hypertension consistently received treatment in 30 minutes or less at Advocate South Suburban.

“We are proud of the ILPQC recognition. This award acknowledges the dedication and commitment of our Obstetrical team of physicians and nurses at Advocate South Suburban,” says Jennifer Doerr, clinical nurse manager at the Advocate South Suburban Women and Infants Center.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy complicate between 5 and 10 percent of all pregnancies in the United States. These disorders include severe preeclampsia, eclampsia and pre-existing hypertension. Women with blood pressures greater than 160/110 are considered to have severe maternal hypertension.

“Maternal hemorrhagic stroke is the primary cause of health complications and death associated with severe hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Timely diagnosis and treatment, along with proper follow-up, are key in preventing serious outcomes,” Doerr explained.

The Sustainability Champion Award was presented during the ILPQC’s 6th Annual Conference in Lombard, Illinois. More than 12,700 women and 102 Illinois hospitals participated in the ILPC’s statewide quality improvement initiative.