Dr. Maureen G. Phipps unexpectedly became the interim chair of the Division of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Women & Infants Hospital when her predecessor, Dr. Joanna M. Cain, resigned abruptly from her job the last week in December 2010.
Now, six months later, Phipps is a principal investigator with the National Children’s Study, a 21-year study of children’s health and development that will follow 1,000 children in Providence County as a vanguard community. Nationwide, the study will follow a total of 100,000 children over the next two decades, identifying the root causes of major childhood illnesses, examining both the nature and nurture components of the health equation.
Providence Business News asked Phipps, who also serves as the interim chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, to talk about the health challenges for women and children in Rhode Island.
PBN: As a principal investigator of the new National Children’s Study, involving 1,000 children from Providence County, how do you think the study will help shape improvements in the delivery of health care in Rhode Island for women and children?
PHIPPS: This study is so important, and Women & Infants as well as Brown University are simply thrilled to be involved. The findings will provide the basis for new prevention strategies, health and safety guidelines, and potential treatments and cures for disease. The findings will help us understand relationships between biological, chemical, physical and psychosocial exposures and birth outcomes, child development, and medical conditions.
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PBN: How important has the work been of the nurse midwives at Women & Infants over the last two decades in shaping the way that babies are delivered in Rhode Island?
PHIPPS: The academic midwifery program at Women & Infants and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University is one of the oldest in the country – in fact, last year they celebrated their 25th anniversary. The program is a vital component in our clinical programs and residency training, with our academic midwives providing timely and expert care within the obstetric service – i.e. labor and delivery, prenatal clinics and obstetric triage. There is no doubt that their partnership with our physicians and nurses has improved the quality of care at Women & Infants Hospital – and at other women’s hospitals across the nation.
PBN: Low birth weight babies are at greater risk for long-term cognitive problems and poor school performance, as well as greater risks of long-term illness and disability. What is being done here in Rhode Island to improve the health of women during pregnancy to cut down on low birth weight babies?
PHIPPS: Women & Infants works closely with the March of Dimes, and, in fact, I am chair of the R.I. Task Force on Preterm Birth.
The overarching goal of the task force is to improve the health of children in Rhode Island by reducing the rate of premature birth – as well as morbidity and mortality associated with preterm birth.
In early 2006, the task force began its work by hearing presentations from local and national experts on the most current information about preterm birth. Collaboratively, the task force developed recommendations to address the issue of rising prematurity rates in Rhode Island.
In November 2006, the task force then disseminated 10 key recommendations that included both short- and longer-term initiatives to reduce the rates and impact of preterm birth.
Our task force has worked to develop plans for implementing their recommendations, prioritize action steps, and measure progress towards the overarching goal of reducing the rate of preterm births in Rhode Island. The National March of Dimes continues to recognize the Rhode Island task force as a model program.
PBN: Despite their frequency, miscarriages are often not mentioned or discussed in public. Is that changing? What kinds of services does Women & Infants offer families who have suffered miscarriages?
PHIPPS: More women and couples are choosing to share their loss with their family and friends who can provide much-needed support. At Women & Infants, we have an active bereavement council that includes physicians, nurses, social workers and clergy. Members of the council work closely with families who have experienced a loss, whether early in a pregnancy or far along.
For women further along in a pregnancy, parents are supported to hold the baby, and are given a keepsake memory box with footprints, hair samples, and photographs. There is no doubt this is one of the most difficult moments for parents, and we are committed to doing all that we can to help ease the pain.
PBN: What are the greatest challenges and threats that you see in regard to the health of women and children in Rhode Island?
PHIPPS: Lack of access to care and decreased health care funding continue to be the biggest challenges to improving health for women and children.
