Saint Francis Hospital earns Joint Commission perinatal care recertification

WILMINGTON, Del.—Saint Francis Hospital’s Perinatal Care program has been recertified by the Joint Commission Site Survey, a prestigious honor that only approximately 100 out of 2,500 U.S. hospitals offering obstetrics has received. Saint Francis is the only hospital in Delaware with this certification.

Perinatal Care Certification focuses on “achieving integrated, coordinated, patient-centered care for clinically uncomplicated pregnancies and births,” and is awarded to Joint Commission–accredited hospitals for a two-year period. This is the second two-year period Saint Francis has achieved certification; the first certification was received in 2016.

“This recertification represents a combination of hard work, a quality team of dedicated nurses, physicians and ancillary staff, as well as a clear understanding of and desire to fulfill the mission of service started by Saint Francis of Assisi centuries ago,” said Nancy Petit, MD, Head, Saint Francis Division of Obstetrics. “Our success stems from the trust we put in each other, in our senior leadership and in the health system to which we belong. We look forward to providing this exceptional, personalized healthcare to our moms and babies for years to come.”

Saint Francis Hospital underwent a rigorous onsite review to assess its compliance with certification standards for perinatal care. The Joint Commission evaluated Saint Francis Hospital’s perinatal healthcare services against numerous criteria, including available patient education and information about perinatal care service, early identification of high-risk pregnancies and birth, management of mothers’ and newborns’ risks at a level corresponding to the program’s capabilities, and integrated, coordinated patient-centered care that starts with prenatal and continues through postpartum care.

“I am proud to work with such talented and dedicated professionals,” said Dan Sinnott, President and CEO of Saint Francis Hospital. “There is a high level of effort that goes into earning recertification, and the positive feedback we received from the Joint Commission about this honor prove that the perinatal team is doing extraordinary work for our patients and their precious babies.”