Maternal Health Heroes
May 2020
What is the mission of Austin Maternal Fetal Medicine?
“The mission of Austin Maternal Fetal Medicine is to deliver compassionate, high quality care to each and every patient, regardless of financial need or medical complexity. We want to ensure the best outcome for not only a safe, but happy mother and child. ”
Why does maternal health matter to you?
“Many chronic medical conditions have their origins in obstetrical complications. Because of the captive nature of prenatal care, pregnancy is an opportune time to enlist pregnant mothers to improve any medical complications they may have.”
“One of the most rewarding and intriguing aspects of complicated fetal anomalies or complicated medical patients is realizing you have found a way to give both a mother and a child the best life possible by optimizing a mothers’ health in a way that they both have an excellent outcome.”
What is something you think Texas is doing well when it comes to combatting maternal mortality?
“Since moving to Texas, I’ve been impressed with the partnership between Texas’s Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) and the Texas Hospital Association (THA). The goal of the alliance is to end preventable maternal death and severe maternal morbidity. DSHS put together a team of experts to guide the implementation of AIM throughout Texas, which is used by hospitals and communities across the country to improve maternal safety through implementing best-practices. Since this implementation, Texas has made great strides not only in identifying maternal mortality, but also in implementing multiple community-level initiatives through the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB).”
Where do you see opportunities for Texas/Texans to improve maternal health?
“Despite the aforementioned initiatives presented by the alliance between Texas’s DSHS AIM and the THA, there remain many disparities between the healthcare that Texans in rural communities and urban communities receive.”
“One of the greatest opportunities to improve maternal outcomes is by increasing awareness of these disparities, and then advocating for increased access to care prior to pregnancy, during pregnancy and postpartum.”
“Austin Maternal Fetal Medicine is committed to improving the quality of healthcare in central Texas through our ever-expanding telemedicine platform and our local community outreach.”
What has been your biggest takeaway or discovery since starting your work to improve maternal health?
“The greatest discovery I’ve had since starting my career as a Maternal Fetal Medicine physician has been the observation of the impact that obesity has on women’s health. From preeclampsia to gestational diabetes to congenital anomalies, the epidemic of obesity impacts every aspect of maternal health. Discussions regarding weight are never easy for anyone, regardless of which side of the discussion you’re on. We owe it to our high-risk mothers to have these difficult discussions if we want to improve maternal outcomes.”
How can people support the ways in which you are involved in improving maternal health?
“One of the biggest struggles in medicine is the disjointed healthcare system in this country. A system that integrates care from preconception to pregnancy to postpartum would help Texan women optimize their medical care and combat the multiple health disparities within our community. I believe that the best way to support maternal health is to advocate for this system.”
When it comes to maternal health, what is the accomplishment or victory in which you take the most pride?
“I am extremely proud to be a member of the Austin Maternal Fetal Medicine team. Through each individual members’ daily contribution to our practice, we have become the benchmark practice for our organization Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).”
What else do you want people to know about the ways in which you or your organization is helping to improve maternal health in Texas?
“Austin Maternal Fetal Medicine started with a vision of compassionate care for every woman. This vision has grown into the largest maternal fetal medicine practice in central Texas. Our goal is to continue to provide the best quality care for each and every woman in central Texas through continued community outreach and telemedicine.”
Interview given by Robert Johnston, MD, Austin Maternal Fetal Medicine