For Immediate Release, 10/14/15

Contact: Lauren Mossotti-Kline,

Director, Marketing & Public Relations,
Cortland Regional Medical Center
Phone: 607-756-3513
Email:lkline@cortlandregional.org

Cortland Regional Medical Center Recognized as a

Safe Motherhood Hospital
CORTLAND, NY (October, 2015)-- Cortland Regional Medical Center has recently been
recognized as a Safe Motherhood Hospital, one of only three in the region. Hospitals that receive
this distinction have proven to enhance maternal safety and quality care. It is awarded by the
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), District II in the Safe
Motherhood Initiative (SMI) in New York State.
Safe Motherhood Initiative was established to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality related
to hemorrhage, high blood pressure, and blood clots. New York State has seen a rise in maternal
deaths despite advances in technology. Cortland Regional Medical Center continues the
commitment to the Safe Motherhood Initiative to ensure safe pregnancies and births.
Olga Levitskey, Nurse Manager of Maternity Obstetrics at CRMC, says, We have already begun
to greatly improve maternal experiences, specifically obtaining a new massive transfusion
protocol and a postpartum hemorrhage kit. To even further establish safety measures, Levitskey
and other maternity nurses take part in monthly conference calls and quarterly in-person
meetings with representatives of the Safe Motherhood Initiative in New York City, Albany, and
Saratoga.
A mothers cesarean section carries some of the risks that the Safe Motherhood Initiative has
focused on. According to Leapfrog Group, C-sections can form blood clots, cause infections, or
create chronic pelvic pain. Newborns are at risk of diseases such as asthma or diabetes.
Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit program that encourages access to health care safety
information and rewards hospitals for quality care. Leapfrog Group introduced the first national
release of C-section rates by hospital this year. When families choose a birth hospital in their
state, they can rely on this data. Cortland Regional Medical Center matches the national target
rate of 23.9%. If hospitals are over this rate, they could be performing unnecessary C-sections.

After a planned cesarean section, mothers of any age can easily and painlessly donate their
placentas without any risk to themselves or their baby. The amnion membrane in the inner layer
of a placenta is a unique tissue that helps with oral, eye and spine surgery. It treats difficult
wounds by being processed into skin grafts. The special cells in the amnion reduce pain and
increase the pace of recovery.
Cortland Regional Medical Center partners with Central New York Eye and Tissue Bank, a
division of Upstate New York Transplant Services. Within the last few weeks, they have been
working together on the Placenta Donation Program. The placenta donation process is simple
and beneficial to both the mother and receiving patient. There is no additional surgery or charge
required. Expectant mothers should consult their maternity doctor, physician, and OB/GYN if
this is a decision they would like to make.
The first placenta donation in the region was accomplished at Cortland Regional Medical Center
this September. There have been five other successful placenta donations since then. A CRMC
delivery team will perform the C-section and then Central New York Eye and Tissue Bank will
transport the placenta to the patient in immediate need. The successful C-section procedures are
yet another reason the hospital deserves being a Safe Motherhood Hospital. While a mother
celebrates her newborn, she can feel rewarded that she generously mended one or many back to
health.
Cortland Regional Medical Center provides a safe and welcoming environment for mothers,
newborns, and donor families. Expectant mothers who would like to fill out the placenta
donation form can visit www.unyts.org/services/placenta-donation. For more information on the
Safe Motherhood Initiative, visit www.acogny.org.