Black women with sickle cell disease experience worse maternal outcomes
A study led by UC Davis Health has found Black women in the U.S. experience disproportionately worse maternal health outcomes than all other racial groups, which further negatively impacts Black women with sickle cell disease. The findings, published in the American Journal of Hematology, highlight the importance of multidisciplinary perinatal care, ongoing studies to target sickle cell disease modification, and increased public health efforts to reduce disparities in pregnancy-related outcomes for women with sickle cell disease.
Helping rural providers care for mothers with opioid use disorder, opioid-exposed infants
To improve maternal-fetal care throughout the region, UC Davis Health perinatal, neonatal and opioid use disorder specialists work with rural hospitals and community partners through telehealth to share recommendations and best practices. Conducted as part of the Optimizing Pregnancy and Infant Outcomes in Substance Use Disorder (OPIOID) and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) research project, the group aims to keep mothers and their infants together in their communities to decrease social and emotional stressors and give families the healthiest start.
A Newsweek Best Maternity Hospital
UC Davis Medical Center was named to Newsweek’s 2023 Best Maternity Hospitals which recognizes facilities that have provided exceptional care to mothers, newborns and their families. Best Maternity Hospitals meet Leapfrog standards for lower rates of C-sections, early elective delivery, and episiotomy, as well as for assuring bilirubin screening for all newborns and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section.
New volunteer doula program
UC Davis Medical Center launched a new, free volunteer doula program. Our trained doulas can be requested by patients upon admission. Each doula is dedicated to one laboring patient and provides 1:1 emotional and physical support through labor and delivery.
