…focusing on the prevention of morbidity and mortality

Today, the United States has the highest maternal death rate of any industrialized country, and New Jersey ranks 45th in the nation in maternal deaths (America's Health Rankings by United Health Foundation and CDC National Vital Statistics System, 2011-2015). New Jersey’s high rate of racial maternal-health disparities is alarming: black mothers die at more than three and a half times the rate of white women. With maternal mortality rates on the rise, renowned national and international experts are gathering to present on this topic, address factors contributing to perinatal morbidity and mortality, and propose prevention strategies that enhance obstetrical care for both patients and providers.

On Thursday, November 1, 2018, the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey and Hackensack Meridian Health are collaboratively hosting a Maternal Health & Perinatal Safety Symposium at the Robert Treat Hotel, in Newark, New Jersey (50 Park Place, Newark, NJ 07102).

This full-day program, held from 7:30 am – 4:00 pm, is designed to provide physicians, nurses, social workers, and other healthcare providers insight into the current issues impacting maternal health and perinatal safety in New Jersey and nationally, and to learn strategies and protocols to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

“In light of the alarming rise of maternal mortality in the state of New Jersey, it is timely and critical that we bring together some of the nation’s leading experts to take a microscopic look at prevention strategies to improve care,” said Ilise Zimmerman, President and CEO for the Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey, one of the conference organizers. “Maternal health and safety is a major public health issue in our State and country. Our symposium will give this serious issue the attention it deserves,” she stated.

“This crisis is now an epidemic. More than two women die every day in the USA from pregnancy-related causes,” said Andrew Rubenstein, MD, Chief of Obstetrics at Hackensack University Medical Center, Chair of the Total Quality Improvement Committee for the Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey, and Co-Chair of the New Jersey Perinatal Quality Collaborative. “We hope to raise awareness and educate our clinical colleagues, in an interdisciplinary and inter-professional educational forum, emphasizing collaborative team-based care to address the necessary prioritization that we may collectively call our Crisis Agenda in Maternal Health and Perinatal Safety.”

Critical topics of discussion:

Maternal Early Warning System: Presented by Mary E. D'Alton, MD

  • Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • Director of Services, Sloane Hospital for Women
  • Attending Physician, NewYork-Presbyterian

Rising Maternal Mortality: Presented by Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCH

  • Senior Vice President of USF Health
  • Dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
  • Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Public Health

Perinatal Mood Disorders: Presented by Lee S. Cohen, MD

  • Director of The Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Edmund and Carroll Carpenter Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

Re-Engineering Fetal Monitoring: Presented by Mark Evans, MD

  • Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
  • Director, Comprehensive Genetics

Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality: Presented by Elizabeth Howell, MD, MPP

  • Professor, Departments of Population Health Science & Policy, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science, and Psychiatry
  • System Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science
  • Associate Dean for Academic Development, and the Director of The Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

The Opioid Epidemic: Presented by Diane J. Abatemarco, PhD, MSW

  • Director of Maternal Addiction Treatment, Education and Research Division (MATER) at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University

The Importance of Women’s Health: Presented by Senator Loretta Weinberg

  • New Jersey State Senate Majority Leader

Welcome Remarks & the Impact of Maternal Health in NJ: Shereef M. Elnahal, MD, MBA

  • Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP:

The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey is a nonprofit, public health organization whose mission is to initiate a dramatic, positive change in public health by empowering families through our community outreach initiatives and professional education programs. The Partnership brings together hospitals, consumers, and clinicians to collaboratively increase access to quality prenatal and pediatric access in Northern New Jersey.

ABOUT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER:

Hackensack University Medical Center, a member of Hackensack Meridian Health, is a 770-bed non-profit, Magnet-designated, research and teaching hospital. Located in Hackensack, New Jersey, the facility is the largest provider of both inpatient and outpatient services in the state. In US News Best Hospital Ranking, HUMC was rated second in New Jersey and fifth in the New York Metropolitan area. HUMC’s Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital provides expert prenatal and postpartum care for women, delivering over 6,200 babies per year.

For more information:Amy Gole, Director of Professional Programs at the PartnershipPhone: (973) 268-2280 x100Email: agole@partnershipmch.orgVisit: www.partnershipmch.org/perinatalsafety