Tampa General Hospital is First in Nation to Receive Dual Recognition for Key Maternal Health Programs

Tampa General Hospital is recognized as a Maternal Center of Excellence for Accreta and VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) and offers these advanced services to the community and beyond.

Tampa, FL (July 27, 2020) – Tampa General Hospital is first in the nation to receive dual recognition for two key maternal health programs, providing women advanced services when it comes to labor and delivery. The Maternal Safety Foundation has recognized Tampa General Hospital as a Maternal Center of Excellence in both areas.

“Mothers who choose to give birth at Tampa General expect the very best and safest care, and that’s why we’re so pleased to receive this recognition from the Maternal Safety Foundation,” said Dr. Judette Louis, the Co-Director of Women and Children’s Services at Tampa General Hospital.  

Dr. Louis, who is a specialist in high risk obstetrics and an associate professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of South Florida, said this designation will help women make decisions about where to deliver. “We’re proud to be the first in the United States to be named as a Center of Excellence for both placenta accreta and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). It highlights our expertise in the full spectrum of care for women who have had prior cesarean deliveries.”

Women and Children’s Services at Tampa General Hospital has a long tradition of providing patient-centered care from nurses, physicians and midwives with great expertise. The highly specialized Center of Excellence will provide the same quality of care to all families; from those with no birth complications to highly acute pregnancies. TGH is one of only three hospitals in the Tampa Bay area to have received international recognition as a Baby-Friendly® designated birth facility by Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. for its commitment to supporting breastfeeding mothers and their babies. The hospital’s Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and its close affiliation with the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine means that mothers, babies and families always have world-class medical care.

The Maternal Safety Foundation offers the Maternal Centers of Excellence Accreta Center of Excellence and VBAC Center of Excellence as voluntary recognition programs with a goal of helping patients and families find safe, risk-appropriate care. The Foundation Advisory Board’s decision to target accreta as an area of focus was data-driven. The number of women giving birth after a previous cesarean in the United States is 600,000 — or 15 percent — annually.

As a VBAC Center of Excellence, Tampa General Hospital is recognized for helping patients with a previous cesarean identify safe, risk-appropriate and supportive options for vaginal birth. Many women choose vaginal birth because it is a surgery-free option.

Placenta accreta is a serious complication of pregnancy that occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the wall of the uterus. Although it used to be uncommon, the condition has increased an estimated 400 percent in the last four decades alongside the increase in cesarean section births. A woman’s risk for developing this condition increases according to the number of previous cesarean births.

“For many women, a vaginal delivery is the safest way to give birth. Women should have a voice and be able to share in the decision-making at delivery and that’s why we have worked so hard to make sure expectant mothers can make this health care choice at Tampa General,” Dr. Louis said. Florida has historically had one of the highest rates annually of primary and repeat cesarean births, according to the Maternal Safety Foundation.

“In states like Florida, with high primary cesarean birth rates, it is imperative that hospitals and health systems take the lead in ensuring safe, high-quality care options for patients with a previous cesarean,” said Jill Arnold, founder of the Maternal Safety Foundation. “We are happy to honor Tampa General Hospital for both its expertise in managing complicated placenta accreta births as well as safe, preference-sensitive care for patients with a previous cesarean who wish to be supported in giving birth vaginally.”

ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1006-bed non-profit academic medical center, delivers world-class care as the region’s only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. It is one of the nation’s busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With five medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center and its 32-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to an 82-bed Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital’s footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health and 18 outpatient Radiology Centers. Tampa Bay residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics, and they can even receive home visits in select areas through TGH Urgent Care at Home, powered by Fast Track.  As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, Tampa General Hospital is first in the state to open a command center in partnership with GE Healthcare. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.

ABOUT MATERNAL SAFETY FOUNDATION

Maternal Safety Foundation, founded in 2018 in Rogers, Arkansas, is a nonprofit patient advocacy and safety organization dedicated to maternal health. To support this mission, the foundation launched the Maternal Centers of Excellence in 2019, beginning with Accreta Center of Excellence and VBAC Center of Excellence as voluntary recognition programs with a goal of helping patients and families find safe, risk-appropriate care for vaginal birth after cesarean and placenta accreta conditions. More information is available at www.maternalcoe.org.