The Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative (ILPQC) has recognized Family Maternity Suites at Springfield Memorial Hospital as a recipient of the 2025 Illinois Birthing Hospital Quality Excellence Award. This award celebrates the hospital’s commitment to safe, high-quality care for all mothers and babies.
ILPQC, founded in 2012, is a statewide network focused on improving maternity care and reducing maternal and infant mortality in Illinois. The Illinois Birth Hospital Quality Designation Program was created by ILPQC to recognize hospitals that are focused on providing care that meets the unique needs of all patients, regardless of race, socioeconomic background or other factors. The program is funded by a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Special Beginnings Maternal and Infant Health initiative.
“This designation is a result of more than three years of work by the Family Maternity Suites team to make sure they’re meeting the needs of all our patients,” said Jennifer Bond, SMH chief nursing officer. “That includes holding events to gather feedback on the patient experience, as well as promoting initiatives that drive equitable and respectful care to reduce disparities and help babies get a safe start in life.”
In 2024, Family Maternity Suites received two awards of quality excellence from ILPQC, as well as a mini-grant that helped fund nurse education, labor-support tools and other resources. The Illinois Birthing Hospital Quality Designation Program recognizes their long-term success in improving birth equity and reducing the primary cesarian section rate.
While C-sections can be a crucial medical intervention in some situations, they also increase the rate of complications for future pregnancies. ILPQC supports hospitals in encouraging vaginal birth when it’s safe for mothers and babies.
“The well-being of the families we serve is at the heart of everything we do,” said Jessica Weirich, a registered nurse in Family Maternity Suites who helped lead this work alongside Dr. Tara Bennett, OB-GYN department chair at SMH. “We’ve created new partnerships in our community that are helping us make sure mothers and babies in Springfield are getting the support they need during their pregnancy, delivery and beyond.”
That includes ensuring all patients are screened during their hospital stay to identify potential needs that could be met by community resources. Family Maternity Suites also conducts surveys and holds annual Respectful Care events that gather feedback on how the hospital and nursing teams can better care for patients. Recently, part of that work has included putting policies in place that make the unit more doula-friendly.
“It’s encouraging to receive this statewide recognition,” Bond said. “It shows that the work the Family Maternity Suites team is doing behind the scenes is having a real impact on the lives of families in Springfield and central Illinois.”