Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies Recognized as a Maternal Levels of Care Verified Hospital

Orlando, FL (June 3, 2024) –Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies has been recognized as a Maternal Levels of Care verified hospital by The Joint Commission through its collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and support from the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative. The national verification is awarded to those hospitals who meet comprehensive maternal standards of care based on guidelines established by ACOG that work to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.

To achieve this verification, Orlando Health Winnie Palmer voluntarily went through a rigorous independent review to verify that it has the right staff, equipment, resources, and processes in place to provide risk-appropriate maternal care. Verification assures a mom that the hospital has the clinical capabilities and expertise to safely deliver the services it provides.

“We are incredibly honored to have earned this designation from The Joint Commission. This achievement was only made possible by the remarkable effort from the entire team at Winnie Palmer,” said Suzanne Worthington, Senior Vice President of Orlando Health and President of Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.

The verification process also includes a comprehensive on-site assessment, evaluation of maternal care capabilities, and a policy compliance review. The verification designated Orlando Health Winnie Palmer as a Level IV facility, which means it has demonstrated it can care for low, moderate and high risk pregnancies as well as care for more complex maternal, fetal and obstetric complications. In addition, Orlando Health Winnie Palmer also provides on-site medical and surgical care for the most complex maternal and fetal conditions and critical care services for pregnant women throughout the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods.

“We are thrilled to see this degree of early enthusiasm for ACOG Levels of Maternal Care in the State of Florida,” said Cole Greves, MD, Chair of ACOG District XII. “Through this program, our hospitals have shown an increased commitment to improving the lives of mothers by ensuring access to risk appropriate care at all times. For those hospitals willing to participate in the verification, we anticipate an increased level of collaboration and support in their continued efforts to promote high quality and safe care that will move the needle toward a reduction in maternal mortality in our state. Even one maternal life lost is too many.”

The goal of the national verification program is to halt, and ideally reduce the rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality by encouraging systems to standardize perinatal practice through the delivery of risk-appropriate maternal care.

The Maternal Levels of Care Verification program was developed using guidelines based on the Obstetric Care Consensus jointly established by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. This clinical guidance includes comprehensive uniform definitions, a standardized description of maternity facility capabilities and personnel, and a framework for integrated systems that address maternal health needs. To learn more, visit the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative website.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health is a private, not-for-profit healthcare organization with $9.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, the system was founded more than 100 years ago.

The healthcare system is recognized around the world for its pediatric and adult Level I Trauma program, co-located at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center, where more than 50 victims of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting were treated in June 2016. The system is also home to the only Adult Trauma Center in Pinellas County at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital. Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies houses one of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care units and one of the only systems in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida. Orlando Health also operates the National Training Center for Olympic athletes and the Orlando Health Network, which is recognized as one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. The system’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program hosts more than 350 residents and fellows including more than 40 who are enrolled at Orlando Health Bayfront.

Orlando Health clinicians have pioneered life-changing research including therapies for end-stage breast cancer and identifying biomarkers to detect traumatic brain injury.

Orlando Health is a 3,487-bed system that includes 33 hospitals and emergency departments – 26 of which are currently operational with seven coming soon. The system also includes seven partner hospitals and emergency departments located in Puerto Rico and nine specialty institutes in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, cancer, colon and rectal, digestive health, heart and vascular, neuroscience, orthopedics, rehabilitation, weight loss and bariatric surgery. In addition, the system also includes skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility under the management of Acadia Healthcare, and more than 375 outpatient facilities that include physician clinics, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. More than 4,950 physicians, representing more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs more than 29,000 team members and more than 1,400 physicians. Stabilize