KDHE
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced that the Vermont Oxford Network has awarded the state of Kansas the “State of Excellence in Education and Training for Infants and Families Affected by Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome” designation.
Kansas is the second state to receive this designation.
The award is received as a partnership between KDHE and the Kansas Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KPQC) and supported by VON, with the goal to standardize care for infants and families affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The award recognizes that at least 85 percent of multidisciplinary care teams participating in the “Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Collaborative: Improving Care to Improve Outcomes” completed universal training for care of NAS.
NAS is a drug withdrawal syndrome experienced by infants exposed to opioids while in utero. Infants born with NAS are more likely to have respiratory complications, feeding difficulty, low birthweights, and extended hospital stays.
KDHE and KPQC partnered with VON to provide 33 birth centers universal training designed to standardize care policies.
The collaborative approach to universal training included rapid-cycle distribution of current evidence-based practices to the entire interdisciplinary workforce engaged in caring for substance-exposed infants and families. This approach has been proven to reduce length of hospital stay and length of pharmacologic treatment while increasing family satisfaction.
The 31 birth centers to be recognized as Vermont Oxford Network Centers of Excellence include:
AdventHealth Ottawa, Ottawa
AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Merriam
Allen County Regional Hospital, Iola
Ascension Via Christi-Manhattan, Manhattan
Ascension Via Christi-St. Joseph, Wichita
Citizens Medical Center, Colby
Community Healthcare System, Onaga
Community Memorial Healthcare, Marysville
Geary Community Hospital, Junction City
Hays Medical Center, Hays
Hiawatha Community Hospital, Hiawatha
Hutchison Regional Medical Center, Hutchinson
Kansas Midwives Alliance
Kearny County Hospital, Lakin
Labette Health, Parsons
Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence
Memorial Health System-Abilene, Abilene
Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park
Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca
Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, Chanute
Newman Regional Health, Emporia
Olathe Medical Center, Olathe
Overland Park Regional Medical Center, Overland Park
Rooks County Health Center, Plainville
Salina Regional Health Center, Salina
Southwest Medical Center, Liberal
Stormont Vail Health, Topeka
University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City
University of Kansas Health System-St. Francis, Topeka
Wesley Medical Center, Wichita
Western Plains Medical Center, Dodge City