(Oneida, NY – Jan. 2015) Oneida Healthcare (OHC) has been recognized by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) and the Madison County Health Department for achieving one of the highest reported rates in the state for its work to protect newborns from hepatitis B virus infection.
OHC is the newest entry into IAC’s Birth Dose Honor Roll (www.immunize.org/honor-roll/birthdose), which recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that have attained high coverage levels for administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. OHC immunized 96 percent of babies in 2013 and took additional steps to prevent perinatal transmission of hepatitis B. (The other 4 percent was due to parental choice not to have their babies immunized).
The national standard of care to prevent hepatitis B virus infection in babies is to administer hepatitis B vaccine to all newborns before they leave the hospital or birthing center. This standard is being adopted by centers of healthcare excellence nationwide as a safety net to protect newborns from a wide range of medical errors that lead to babies being unprotected from perinatal hepatitis B infection.
Oneida Healthcare also received a certificate from the New York State Department of Health regarding their initiative to reduce the number of scheduled deliveries at earlier than 39 weeks gestation.
“The DOH certificate was for the last six months of 2013, but adding in the information, so far, from 2014, we are actually well over a year without any scheduled deliveries sooner than 39 weeks (without an approved reason for doing so). I’m really proud of our team’s commitment to both of these initiatives,” said Cheryl Tibbitts, RN, Obstetrics Nurse Manager.