Mercy Medical Center to Launch TeamBirth to Enhance Labor, Delivery Patient Experience

SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center leaders will gather for the official launch of TeamBirth, a new initiative to enhance the birthing experience and improve outcomes for people giving birth and their babies. TeamBirth is a communication and teamwork process that closes gaps in communication that challenge the safety and dignity of people giving birth. The event is set for Friday, April 14 at 10:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center.

“At Mercy Medical Center, we want every woman giving birth and the clinicians who care for them to feel empowered to participate in decisions made during labor and delivery,” said Dr. Robert Roose, chief administrative officer for Mercy Medical Center and Johnson Memorial Hospital. “TeamBirth will move us closer to that goal by fostering teamwork and communication among physicians, midwives, nurses, staff, and the woman giving birth so that our patients are heard and supported from the moment they walk into the Family Life Center.”

Research indicates that failures in communication between providers and patients accounts for up to 90% of preventable injuries during childbirth. TeamBirth was developed to address these gaps in communication to ensure that people giving birth and the clinicians who are caring for them have shared input and understanding into decisions during labor and delivery.