Vision: All perinatal stakeholders in Georgia coming together to improve health and outcomes for all Georgia mothers and babies.
Mission: To establish and maintain a robust statewide perinatal data and quality improvement system that engages stakeholders in evidence-based practices to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies throughout Georgia.
In November 2012, a group of neonatologists, obstetricians, midwives, public health professionals and other stakeholders launched a collaborative effort, the Georgia Perinatal Quality Collaborative (GaPQC), to identify and implement quality improvement (QI) strategies to improve maternal and neonatal care and outcomes in Georgia. For years, being born in Georgia has been a risk factor for overall health, with Georgia ranked at the bottom nationally for maternal mortality and for many infant health indicators. This group, which includes representation from physicians, nurses, birthing hospitals, regional perinatal centers, patient advocates and professional organizations, is united in its vision for a future where having a baby in Georgia is a predictor of good health, not poor outcomes.
Hospitals and providers have increased focus on implementing quality improvement initiatives to advance clinical knowledge, drive patient safety and outcomes, and, more recently, to demonstrate their value to consumers and payors. Recent years have witnessed an emergence of perinatal collaboratives that aim to take a life-course approach to addressing risk factors that contribute to poor outcomes. GaPQC is unique in its integration of community-based organizations to enhance efforts to educate and engage families in the QI process.