April 2022
Texas Perinatal Services News
TETAF Advocacy Team Requests Health Data Review - Texas Senate Includes Interim Charge on Public Health Data
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has released the Senate Interim Charges. These charges require legislators to review current legislation and the committee tasked with the charge provides a report with recommendations that are considered during the upcoming legislative session. 

The TETAF Advocacy team requested that the Senate Health and Human Services Committee review health data collection and TETAF is pleased to report it is included in the interim charges as follows:

Public Health Data: Review the processes for public health data collection and coordination by local and state entities as well as regional trauma centers. Identify any continuing barriers to the real-time dissemination of data concerning health care facility capacity — including data that can expedite timely care — and mortality rates, as well as other information that can assist in public policy decisions. 

TETAF will advocate to the legislature the need for timely, robust data that can lead to improved outcomes in trauma care, perinatal care, STEMI, stroke, and also disaster response. 

Read the complete list of Senate Interim Charges here.
Texas Perinatal Forum Takes a Unique Twist on April 27 With "Maximizing Your Meeting"
The Texas Perinatal Forum will provide a unique topic in April for all of Texas Perinatal Services' maternal and neonatal hospitals. Jessica Phillips, MAS, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, C-ONQS, perinatal program director for Texas Perinatal Services, will present on "Maximizing Your Meeting," on April 27 at 10:00 a.m. Central.

Jessica will share tips on getting more out of meetings, ensuring they are productive, and becoming more comfortable leading a meeting. This presentation is for those who are new to leading meetings as well as seasoned pros. We encourage everyone to bring their most effective tactics ready to share during this engaging forum.

We hope our hospital partners can join us on April 27 for our Texas Perinatal Forum. Please register to attend the forum by clicking the button below.
Texas Perinatal Services Supports Multi-State Project Aimed at Expanding the Safe Use of Intermittent Auscultation (IA)
Texas Perinatal Services supports the safe use of intermittent auscultation (IA) in Texas. We are proud to have partnered in the Texas Intermittent Auscultation Collaborative’s (TIAC) pilot project. Based on responses that Texas Perinatal Services received from its hospital partners, there is strong interest in learning more about the safe use of IA, but the timing is not ideal for launching a Texas-only IA collaborative as many of our hospitals continue to normalize operations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Texas Perinatal Services will not serve as an implementation partner but will continue to support the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement (PQI) and Primary Maternity Care as they continue to expand the safe use of IA in a multi-state approach.

Texas Perinatal Services would like to thank those who willingly took their time to participate in interviews and research with the TIAC team for this endeavor.
2022 TETAF Committees
TETAF committees will actively begin meeting soon as the chairs of each committee have been named and more than 60 stakeholder members are being notified of their appointments.

Each member of the TETAF Board of Directors serves on a committee and the committees are chaired by a board member. The chairs are as follows:

Advocacy - Wanda Helgesen

Education - Scott Christopher

Finance - Kathy Perkins

Governance - Dudley Wait

Survey Verification - Danny Little

TETAF appreciates the interest of so many stakeholders to serve on each of these committees.
Maternal and Neonatal News
Perinatal Advisory Council Hears Updates on Designation Rules and Survey Standards
The Perinatal Advisory Council (PAC) met on March 30 and during the meeting, Dr. Patrick Ramsey was elected the new chair and Dr. Sadhana Chheda was elected vice chair.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) shared updates on the Maternal and Neonatal Strategic Review of Designations and also provided a brief status update on the maternal and neonatal rules process. Additionally, a report was provided on a PAC subcommittee's review of maternal and neonatal surveying organizations. TETAF/Texas Perinatal Services participated in the subcommittee's review. The report was an overview that combined details from all maternal and neonatal surveying organizations in Texas.

The meeting can be viewed on the Texas Health and Human Services website. The next PAC meeting is scheduled for July 27 at 9:00 a.m.
April is Cesarean Awareness Month
April is Cesarean Awareness Month and provides the opportunity for learning more about preventable c-sections and the safe recovery from a c-section.

The National Accreta Foundation has a helpful social media toolkit for #CAM2022 that can be found here.