Birth Center Saves MotherBaby Lives in Philippines

Our newest Mercy In Action sponsored birth center, Imago Dei Health & Birth Center, has been envisioned and brought to life as an important piece of the maternity care puzzle in Olongapo.  In each sponsored birth center, we are eager to provide safe and respectful care to the families in our care.  We also see the importance of our role in the larger community of collaboration and devote resources and time to build those relationships. The International Childbirth Initiative’s 12 Steps for Safe and Respectful MotherBaby Family Maternity Care guides our work in every birth center.  Step 11 in that series highlights providing a continuum of collaborative care as a crucial part of providing safe and respectful care for all families.  Building relationships and establishing trust with other maternity care providers in our community creates the best outcomes for mothers and babies. 

 This report begins with a picture of one of our midwives, an obstetrician, and a pediatrician partner signing a memorandum of agreement for collaborative patient care at Mercy In Action sponsored Imago Dei Health & Birth Center!  These kinds of agreements save lives because they pave the way for smooth and swift transfers of care that avoid deadly delays. 

In the pictures below, you will see some other ways we are collaborating in our community. The OBs and Pediatricians in our local hospital were so excited that they could now practice saving the lives of babies who don't breathe at birth with Laerdal's newest computerized simulator that we donated.   We also donated valuable teaching aids and updated training on Neonatal Resuscitation to the local hospital.  We are committed to improving maternal and infant health outcomes in our community by working with other maternity care providers rather than in competition against them.  Our entire birth center team made a courtesy call to the Mayor of our city, who endorsed the new birth center with enthusiasm based on our evidence-based care strategies. 

Your faithful support makes all of this possible!  Maternity care in Olongapo can be seen as a puzzle that will only make a cohesive image by every piece in its place, and the donations you generously give allow Mercy In Action sponsored Imago Dei Health & Birth Center to be a piece of that beautiful picture. 

Thank you from the Mercy In Action global team! 

Links:

• Mercy in Action