Message from CEO

Patients and Community Members,

As you may know, Touro’s Family Birthing Center was included in a story reported in USA Today as part of an ongoing series on maternal health issues. The story brings into sharp focus the high acuity, disease burden, and barriers to care that many expecting moms in our community face. Improvements in outcomes for moms is not just a focus for Touro—it’s a national issue that our society and healthcare system faces. The article highlights a select few patients with tragic outcomes, but the vast majority of moms who give birth at Touro do so without any complications.

We’ve looked closely at the data presented and statements made by USA Today and believe that it is not an accurate depiction of the care provided at our hospital. The story drew conclusions on unvalidated and unscrubbed data, which was not risk adjusted to enable comparison between patient populations or hospitals. Over the past few years Touro has implemented numerous quality initiatives in compliance with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists standards of care. Touro is also part of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC) and a participating birthing facility in the LaPQC Reducing Maternal Morbidity Initiative.

For over 160 years Touro Infirmary has cared for the New Orleans community, and for almost a century been the “place where babies come from”. We take great pride in our hospital and the care we provide, and that is a direct result of our physicians' and employees' dedication to this hospital, their co-workers, and our patient community. During our recent Joint Commission Accreditation our surveyors commended our staff for their knowledge and the level of compassion that they show to our patients. We care for every person that comes through our doors and we will continue that tradition for future generations of New Orleans families.

On behalf of our leadership team, be assured we take this issue very seriously—safely caring for moms and babies is something we take pride in. I pledge to you our commitment to continue the work of being part of the solution to improve outcomes for moms. One case with bad outcomes is one too many, and we must continue to strive to be better for the health of our entire community.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Susan E. Andrews
President & Chief Executive Officer
Touro Infirmary