Staff Reports
Make room for more awards at Tampa General Hospital (TGH). The latest one was delivered by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez today during her visit to TGH.
Nuñez presented TGH with an award recognizing its continuing efforts to reduce the number of unnecessary cesarean (C-section) deliveries and promote safe vaginal deliveries. The Lt. Governor was joined by Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s Surgeon General, and officials from the state Agency for Health Care Administration and the Florida Department of Health.
“Exceeding national goals for reducing unnecessary C-sections for two straight years is a tremendous recognition for all of those working with the Women and Children’s Institute at Tampa General,” said John Couris, president and CEO of TGH. “We are honored to receive this award from Lt. Gov. Nuñez and Surgeon General Ladapo as we continue on our journey to provide the safest and highest quality care in the country to mothers and their babies.”
The current national cesarean delivery rate is 32%. Tampa General achieved a C-section rate of 21.4% — surpassing the goal of 23.6% set by Healthy People 2030, a women’s and children’s health initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focused on preventing pregnancy complications and maternal deaths and helping women stay healthy before, during and after their pregnancies.
Tampa General delivers more babies than any other hospital in Tampa Bay, with about 6,500 births at the hospital since Oct. 1, 2021.
“We are honored to see our primary hospital partner receive this recognition from the state,” said Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, executive vice president of USF Health, dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, and a maternal-fetal medicine expert. “Obstetrician-gynecologists across the state are working together to safeguard women’s and children’s health by preventing unnecessary surgeries that carry increased risk.”
While C-section deliveries can prevent injury and death in higher-risk pregnancies, the procedure is also linked to an increased risk of severe bleeding, inflections, blood clots and complications in future pregnancies. Unnecessary C-sections can lead to lengthened recovery times. As a result, efforts to reduce C-sections performed on low-risk mothers have been a focus for many hospitals and medical providers.
Earlier this year, Tampa General Hospital was also ranked #1 in Florida and Top 50 in the nation in Obstetrics and Gynecology by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 Best Hospitals and named a Best Maternity Hospital in 2022 by Newsweek. TGH was also one of only 15 hospitals in Florida recognized in 2021 for exceeding the national Healthy People 2030 goals for reducing unnecessary C-sections and was also named a Best Maternity Hospital by Newsweek and the Leapfrog Group in 2020.
The Women’s Institute at Tampa General offers state-of-the-art, individual care for women before, during and after childbirth. Every childbearing experience is unique, and the TGH Obstetrics team provides specialized care to every mother and child through their journey. The Institute includes staff and faculty from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine to ensure mothers and babies in the Tampa Bay area and beyond receive the highest quality care.
