Gerber Memorial Recognized for Maternity Care Excellence

May 12, 2021

Fremont, Mich., May 10, 2021 – In honor of Mother’s Day, The Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM), has awarded Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital a Hospital Maternity Care Excellence Award for the third year in a row.

“Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial is extremely proud of our entire maternity care team for their continued excellence,” Gerber Memorial President Drew Dostal said. “The Maternity Care Excellence Award speaks to the commitment of Gerber Memorial’s providers, nurse midwives and nursing team to ensuring mother and child are healthy. With our focus on exceptional personalized care, we work hard every day so moms and families can continue to welcome their children into the world their way, safely and with information and resources to help them thrive for years to come.

The awards are part of EAM’s Maternity Care Project. Created in 2018, the project goals are to decrease the state’s infant mortality rate, reduce the rate of unnecessary C-sections, and be an educational resource for new and expecting parents residing in Michigan.

“The recipients of the Hospital Maternity Care Award demonstrate their dedication to giving newborns the best start to life,” said Bret Jackson, president of EAM. “Unnecessary cesarean sections and elective early deliveries are all linked to increased negative health outcomes and higher medical bills. These costs can be financially devasting to new parents and can trickle down to employers as well.”

For the award, hospitals were evaluated in four areas: cesarean rates, episiotomy rates, elective early delivery rates and maternity care processes. The data is from The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C. based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.

To be awarded the Excellence Award, hospitals need to fully meet the standard in all four areas in the same calendar year.

The Maternity Care Project also provides details for birthing centers in Michigan, providing parents-to-be invaluable information in making a choice for hospital maternity care. To compare birthing centers and learn more about the project go to www.maternitycareproject.com.

Gerber Memorial Hospital is one of five Spectrum Health hospitals to earn the designation. Other Spectrum Health hospitals recognized include:

Spectrum Health Butterworth in Grand Rapids
Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville
Spectrum Health Lakeland in Niles
Spectrum Health Pennock in Hastings

Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system that provides care and coverage, comprising 31,000+ team members, 14 hospitals (including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital), a robust network of care facilities, teams of nationally recognized doctors and providers, and the nation’s third-largest provider-sponsored health plan, Priority Health, currently serving over 1 million members across the state of Michigan.

People are at the heart of everything we do. Locally governed and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we are focused on our mission: to improve health, inspire hope and save lives. Spectrum Health has a legacy of strong community partnerships, philanthropy and transparency. Through experience, innovation and collaboration, we are reimagining a better, more equitable model of health and wellness.

Contact:
Azlan Ibrahim
Communications Manager
Office: 231.924.1264
Mobile: 616.227-1940
Email: azlan.ibrahim@spectrumhealth.org