Progesterone Project
Preterm birth is the #1 cause of newborn death in Ohio
The OPQC Progesterone Project's goal is to decrease premature births in Ohio before 32 weeks by 10%, by identifying women with increased risk early in pregnancy and starting treatment with progesterone. In the first 3 years (2014-2017), the project has reduced repeated early preterm births before 32 weeks by 20%, and all Ohio births before 32 weeks by 6.6%. These pre-32 week births account for more than half of infant mortality in Ohio.
Progesterone is an evidence-based therapy shown to reduce preterm birth by more than 30% in women with prior preterm birth and/or short cervix through identification and treatment of appropriate candidates with progesterone prophylaxis.
OPQC is currently testing strategies for implementing this intervention with 23 Obstetrics outpatient clinics that were identified by OPQC’s 20 Charter OB sites. Successful strategies will then be disseminated to the other OB practices in Ohio.
*(ACOG = American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists)
WEBINAR RECORDINGS
OPQC PRAF 2.0: "Getting Started" Webinar Recording
OPQC PRAF 2.0: "Next Steps" Webinar Recording
RESOURCES
NOW AVAILABLE - Progesterone Messaging Toolkit!
Credible Messengers (such as community health workers, home visitors, local public health nurses, social workers, WIC Staff, and others) have an important role in promoting perinatal health for women across Ohio. Recently the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality (OCPIM), with support from the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Medicaid, Government Resource Center, March of Dimes and the Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative, released an important new resource created by and for Credible Messengers. This Toolkit provides information that can be used when speaking with women about the importance of early prenatal care and the benefits of progesterone in reducing the risk for premature birth and infant mortality.
Find the Progesterone Messaging Toolkit online at GoWhenYouKnow.org.
Want to request free printed copies of materials from the Toolkit? Fill out this request form.
For Patients: Resources on Preterm Birth and Prevention
For Providers: Help Reduce Preterm Birth in Ohio
Interested in joining OPQC's Progesterone Project as a provider?
About the Progesterone Project
Informational Webinar: PRAF 2.0
The OPQC Progesterone Project is funded by the Ohio Department of Health and the Medicaid Technical Assistance and Policy Program (MEDTAPP), and administered by The Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center. The views expressed in this presentation are solely those of the authors and do not represent the views of state or federal Medicaid programs. This study includes data provided by the Ohio Department of Health which should not be considered an endorsement of this study or its conclusions .
