Meet Dr. Heather Z. Sankey,
the Ronald T. Burkman Endowed Chair
of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Baystate Health,
who shares the top three ways Baystate Health
is improving reproductive care:
- Baystate Health is a key part of a national and statewide effort to improve maternal health, reduce pregnancy complication and prevent mortality. Massachusetts has the second lowest maternal death ratio in the U.S., which gives us the opportunity to study factors that impact overall maternal and infant health. With an overarching focus on health disparities, we are working on strategies to reduce persistent racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities and examine how we may improve care. For instance, Baystate Health is proactively providing at home blood-pressure monitoring for pregnant patients to catch high blood pressure and other serious issues that can impact the health of the patient. This program was piloted and expanded with funding from the generosity of a donor.
- While the Supreme Court’s decision to end the federal right to abortion is at odds with Baystate Health’s mission “to improve the health of the people in our communities every day, with quality and compassion,” we feel fortunate to be in Massachusetts where abortion services remain available and patients and providers have abortion protections. We remain committed to providing reproductive healthcare to protect our patients. We continue to train medical students, residents, and staff to practice medicine in science-informed ways, so they have the best resources and skills to provide care, as well as the awareness and training to help remove barriers to accessing that care.
- For those who are pregnant and struggling with substance use disorder, Baystate Health launched the EMPOWER program, which stands for Engaging Mothers for Positive Outcomes with Early Referrals. EMPOWER is offered at Baystate Medical Center and Baystate Franklin Medical Center. The program partners Baystate Health resources and community organizations to support birthing parents through pregnancy and after childbirth, including creating a birth plan, providing education surrounding newborns at risk for withdrawal, and delivering trauma-informed support to give new mothers confidence in their recovery.
I especially want to give thanks for the grateful patients and community members who make philanthropic investments in our work. Donations help advance our diversity, inclusion and education efforts and help ensure we can bring the best in preventative and reproductive care to the community.