Shady Grove’s Maternity Team Earns Maryland’s Top Prize for Patient Safety Innovation

The award-winning program was titled “Impact of Breastmilk and Donor Breastmilk Exclusively on Improved Quality Measures and Outcomes in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.” An independent panel of judges from the healthcare community reviewed more than 50 submissions from hospitals and health systems in Maryland before naming Shady Grove Medical Center as the winner.

The Birth Center at Shady Grove Medical Center aimed to lower admissions and enhance outcomes for babies with low blood sugar, which the hospital identified in 2019 as the second most common reason newborns were admitted to its NICU. Departments across the hospital collaborated on new infant feeding processes, implementing a protocol for administering glucose gel and increasing the availability of donor breastmilk to parents of babies with low blood sugar. Shady Grove then expanded the effort to provide the option of donor milk to all babies in its NICU, maternity and pediatric units.

“Every newborn should be able to access human milk as a nutrition option and a standard of treatment,” noted Laura Speer, RN, manager of the NICU at Shady Grove Medical Center. “This initiative marks a significant step in reducing medical, resource, racial and social disparities. Now, every family who wants and needs this precious resource can have it at our hospital.”

Shady Grove Medical Center is home to Maryland’s only hospital-based Milk Depot, where mothers with breastfeeding challenges can access pasteurized donor milk as a feeding option for their newborns. The hospital also serves as a drop-off site for mothers who have undergone a screening to donate their excess breastmilk. “We’ve long known the benefits of breast milk for moms and babies. We’re delighted to see the Milk Depot at Shady Grove contributing to better outcomes for our tiny patients and their families,” said Carol Chornock, RN, manager of Lactation Services and Childbirth Education.

Through its award-winning initiative, Shady Grove Medical Center nearly halved its NICU admission rate for hypoglycemic infants, from 10.7% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2020, The effort also lowered the incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSIs. In December 2023, the NICU at Shady Grove Medical Center marked five years without a CLABSI.

“This project demonstrates the commitment that caregivers across our hospital have to holistic care and improving the well-being of vulnerable newborns and their families,” noted Joan Vincent, Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Shady Grove Medical Center. “We are grateful to earn this prestigious recognition from the Maryland Patient Safety Center.”

The Minogue Awards recognize Maryland healthcare organizations that have made a demonstrable difference in patient safety through an innovative solution. Shady Grove Medical Center will receive the award and present the project at the 20th Annual Maryland Patient Safety Conference on April 26 in Baltimore.

Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center is the largest hospital in the Adventist HealthCare system. Shady Grove’s services include emergency care; a Birth Center, NICU and specialized children’s units; a freestanding cancer center and nationally recognized surgery programs. Shady Grove is also Maryland’s second largest provider of mental health services. More than 2,500 team members carry out its mission, to extend God’s care through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.

Courtesy of Shady Grove Adventist