Desert Regional Medical Center named first hospital in the Inland Empire to achieve “Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care,” a new level of care for mothers and infants in the Coachella Valley

Palm Springs, CA – Desert Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in the Inland Empire to achieve a new certification created last year by the Joint Commission and the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists designed to improve patient experience and outcomes.

“We are so proud to have achieved the rigorous new standards of care required for this certification,” said Maggie Stutz, MSN, RN, Director of Women, Infants & Children’s Services at Desert Regional. “It reflects the hard work and collaboration between our physicians, nurses and staff in multiple departments. Everyone was dedicated to ensuring that higher level of care is available for mothers and babies in the Coachella Valley.”

Desert Regional is home to the Coachella Valley’s highest level intensive care unit for newborns, a Level III NICU. The hospital also offers:

• a maternal-fetal medicine clinic for high-risk pregnancies;
• a California Diabetes and Pregnancy Program (CDAPP) Sweet Success affiliation, which provides nutritional counseling for women with gestational diabetes; and,
• a Healthy Beginnings program that provides one-on-one counseling to help new mothers have the best chance at successful breastfeeding.

Desert Regional is the only hospital in the Coachella Valley to be designated as Baby Friendly, according to breastfeeding education standards set out by the World Health Organization. The hospital also is home to the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Center.

“In order to receive the new certification, we had to ensure that all of the resources we offer are tightly coordinated for our mothers and babies,” Stutz said. “We want to ensure that we are helping moms at all stages of pregnancy. And, if there is an emergency delivery, we can call on our Trauma and ICU teams to deliver coordinated care at a moment’s notice. We have already seen life-saving results from this cooperation.”

The Joint Commission's new Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care (ACPC) provides a framework to help hospitals improve outcomes for patients using best practices supported by clinical evidence.

“Advanced Certification in Perinatal Care recognizes healthcare organizations committed to striving for excellence and fostering continuous improvement in patient safety and quality of care,” says Ken Grubbs, DNP, MBA, RN, executive vice president of Accreditation and Certification Operations and chief nursing officer, The Joint Commission. “We commend Desert Regional Medical Center for using The Joint Commission certification process to reduce variation in clinical processes and to strengthen its clinical program to drive safer, higher quality and more compassionate care for individuals served.”

“I want to thank everyone on the team who helped achieve the ACPC designation,” said Michele Finney CEO of Desert Regional Medical Center and Desert Care Network. “Our hospital is dedicated to providing the highest level of mother-baby care available in the Coachella Valley. This team has done a great job making sure we can fulfill that vision for our community.”