South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative (SCBOI)
South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative (SCBOI) is an effort by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), South Carolina Hospital Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), March of Dimes, South Carolina Office of Rural Health (SCORH) and over 100 stakeholders to improve the health outcomes for all moms and babies. Launched in July 2011, SCBOI has led the following efforts:
- Elimination of elective inductions for non-medically indicated deliveries prior to 39 weeks gestation.
- Reducing the number of C-sections for first-time, low-risk moms
- Decreasing the number of admissions and the average length of stay in neonatal intensive care units
- Implementing a universal screening and referral tool, Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), in the physician's office to screen pregnant women and 12 months post-delivery for tobacco use, substance abuse, alcohol, depression and domestic violence
- Championing Baby-Friendly designated hospitals and breastfeeding
- Supporting development of the first donor human milk bank in South Carolina, the Mother's Milk Bank of South Carolina (MMBSC)
- Promoting healthier moms and babies and reducing health disparities by supporting the Centering Pregnancy Model for prenatal care
- Increasing access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) through policy change allowing reimbursement for inpatient insertion
- Supporting the Management Abstinence in Newborns (MAiN) program, an innovative treatment model for opioid-dependent newborns in the Level 1 Nursery