This month, Saint Joseph Health System (SJHS) Mishawaka Medical Center was designated as a Perinatal Center by the Indiana Department of Health. Mishawaka Medical Center is one of only 10 hospitals in the state to receive this certification. Mishawaka Medical Center is currently a certified Level III Obstetric and Level III Neonatal facility and has delivered this high-quality care to our community for many years. The Level III Obstetric and Neonatal certification is only one of many requirements in earning the designation as a Perinatal Center.
“This certification confirms that the efforts Saint Joseph Health System has focused on for years are helping mothers and babies in our community,” said Loretta Schmidt, chief nursing officer for SJHS. “We recognized the need to improve the infant mortality rate in Indiana and this certification is one more tool that allows us to continue having a positive effect on new families.”
Mishawaka Medical Center, as a designated Perinatal Center, supports and coordinates care delivery to complex maternal and neonatal patients by partnering with community hospitals who have achieved Level I and Level II obstetric and neonatal certification. Development of statewide Leveling certification criteria and Perinatal Center designation criteria are two of many initiatives developed across the state aimed at improving maternal and neonatal outcomes and further reducing Indiana’s infant mortality rate.
