JULY 21, 2022 – St. Joseph’s Health is pleased to announce that its Centering Pregnancy Program has received the 2022 New Jersey Hospital Association’s (NJHA) Excellence in Patient Experience Award. 

CenteringPregnancy, which is a program offered through the St. Joseph’s Health Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at its DePaul Center and led by Debra Katz, CNM Manager, Nurse Midwifery Services at St. Joseph’s Health, invites pregnant women to participate in interactive group discussions on topics such as nutrition, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, stress management and infant care, in addition to receiving one-on-one time with their healthcare providers. Funded through grants from the Centering Healthcare Institute and the New Jersey Department of Health’s Partnership for Maternal and Child Health, this method of prenatal care is intended to lower the instances of preterm births and racial disparities through educational workshops and other services. Centering Healthcare Institute is a non-profit organization that works closely with healthcare providers from all sectors to change healthcare particularly in the most vulnerable, low-income, low-resourced communities.

“At St. Joseph’s Health, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive, personalized care to every patient who enters our facility,” said Roger Kierce, MD, Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Joseph’s Health. “As an organization that cares for a very diverse and often underserved population, we are committed to addressing racial disparities in healthcare specifically with prenatal care.” 

 According to recent data, those who participated in this program at St. Joseph’s Health had a breast feeding rate at discharge from the hospital of 90 %, compared to the hospital rate of 77 %. Vaginal delivery rate among the Centering patients is 83 %, compared to the hospital rate of 70 % and the Postpartum visit attendance rate is at 93%, compared to the clinic rate of 80 %.

“I want to congratulate the entire CenteringPregnancy team on receiving this outstanding recognition,” said Kevin Slavin, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “This award represents our ongoing commitment to ensuring equal access to quality prenatal care to all, especially those in underserved communities such as Paterson.”