The CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine’s Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research was honored with the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership’s Award for Excellence in Perinatal Outcomes Research on Oct. 16, recognizing its contributions to strengthening the understanding of maternity care in West Virginia.
The center serves as a collaborative member of the West Virginia Rural Maternity and Obstetric Management Strategies, a four-year, $4 million program funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
The program, launched in 2021, aims to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in Braxton, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Roane, Upshur and Webster counties by expanding access to care, building provider capacity and addressing needs in rural areas.
As part of the project, the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research provided data support and guidance to help shape statewide strategies and monitor progress. Mary Emmett, PhD, the center’s corporate director, leads the West Virginia Rural Maternity and Obstetric Management Strategies data team.
“This recognition is an outcome of teamwork,” said Dr. Emmett. “A team of dedicated individuals from the West Virginia Health Information Network, Tom Kuhn, Chance Pettry, IT staff from Federally Qualified Health Centers and rural hospitals in the program counties made this possible.”
“Together, we were able to demonstrate excellent maternal and neonatal outcomes in our rural communities when access and capacity are strengthened.”
The program was developed in response to declining access to maternity and obstetric services across rural communities nationwide. It is helping to address these challenges in West Virginia by developing a sustainable network of preconception, pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum care throughout participating areas.
Key efforts include expanding patient navigation and care coordination to better meet local needs and advancing a statewide telehealth strategy that helps women, especially those with high-risk pregnancies or transportation barriers.
Over its first three years, the program enrolled more than 3,300 mothers.
The award recognizes the CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine and the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research’s leadership in supporting maternal health through data, evaluation and collaborative support.