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NILES — The Economic Alliance for Michigan has awarded Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital Niles a Hospital Maternity Care Excellence Award for the second year in a row.

The awards are part of EAM’s Maternity Care Project. Created in 2018, the project goals are to decrease the state’s infant mortality rate, reduce the rate of unnecessary C-sections, and be an educational resource for new and expecting parents residing in Michigan.

“We are thrilled our maternity care team has earned this distinction for two years in a row,” said Karen Zienert, medical director, obstetrics/gynecology, Spectrum Health Lakeland. “Our Niles family of nurses, OB/GYN and pediatric physicians, nurse practitioners, and a midwife strive to continuously provide our moms, babies, and families a safe, nationally-recognized, and high-quality experience.”

Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital Niles is one of five Spectrum Health hospitals to earn the designation. Other Spectrum Health hospitals recognized include:

• Spectrum Health Butterworth in Grand Rapids
• Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial in Fremont
• Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville
• Spectrum Health Pennock in Hastings

“The recipients of the Hospital Maternity Care Award demonstrate their dedication to giving newborns the best start to life,” said Bret Jackson, president of EAM. “Unnecessary cesarean sections and elective early deliveries are all linked to increased negative health outcomes and higher medical bills. These costs can be financially devasting to new parents and can trickle down to employers as well.”

For the award, hospitals were evaluated in four areas: cesarean rates, episiotomy rates, elective early delivery rates, and maternity care processes. The data is from The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C. based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. To be awarded the Excellence Award, hospitals need to fully meet the standard in all four areas in the same calendar year.

The Maternity Care Project also provides details for birthing centers in Michigan, providing parents-to-be invaluable information in making a choice for hospital maternity care. To compare birthing centers and learn more about the project go to maternitycareproject.com.