The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) this week announced that UC Davis Medical Center has attained the prestigious SOAP Center of Excellence (COE) designation. 

UC Davis Medical Center is one of 17 institutions and obstetric anesthesia programs globally to have attained the SOAP Center of Excellence designation this year. It is valid for four years. 

“I'm proud to join our clinical director, Dr. [Julie] Fowler, and the rest of the faculty to receive this designation,” said Maria Cristina Gutierrez, academic director of the obstetric anesthesia service at UC Davis Health. “This is the result of the efforts of a cohesive team that strives to provide the best quality of care for women during their delivery at UC Davis. We will continue to ensure that safety and excellence in patient care remains our top priority in our institution.” 

The SOAP Center of Excellence designation sets a benchmark for expected care that helps improve national standards by providing quality metrics for institutions that offer obstetric anesthesia care. 

The criteria for the designation cover various domains, including personnel and staffing; equipment, protocols, and policies; simulation and team training; obstetric emergency management; cesarean delivery and labor analgesia care; recommendations and guidelines implementation; and quality assurance and patient follow-up systems. The criteria were generated by expert consensus and incorporate evidence-based recommendations. 

“Our team is thrilled to receive this Center of Excellence designation. I'm so proud of the hard work and dedication of all our obstetric teams who worked together to achieve this goal. We are committed to providing the highest standards of care for both mother and baby, and will continue to ensure that their safety, comfort, and wellbeing is our primary goal during such an important and exciting time,” said Julie Fowler, clinical director of the obstetric anesthesia service, which is a specialty within the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at UC Davis Health.