The mid-20th-century was a particularly harsh period for historic buildings in Honolulu, he says: “We lost a lot.” What’s left is “probably two handfuls of buildings, dating back in time to the pre-territorial period, back to the 19th century.”
“When you look at the rate of maternal death in the United States compared to California, they basically ran neck-and-neck until it was established,” said Dr. Amanda Williams, clinical innovation adviser for the collaborative. “At that time they totally separated and California started going down. The rest of the country started going up.”Denise Jones speaks with Dr. Allison Garnett during a prenatal appointment at the Oklahoma State University obstetrics and gynecology clinic. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)
Denise Jones speaks with Dr. Allison Garnett during a prenatal appointment at the Oklahoma State University obstetrics and gynecology clinic. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon)In the collaborative, hospitals get toolkits full of materials such as care guidelines in multiple formats, articles on best practices and slide sets that spell out what to do in medical emergencies, how to set up medical teams and what supplies to keep on the unit. The collaborative also tackles issues such as improving obstetric care by integrating midwives and doulas – whose services are covered by the state’s Medicaid program.At first, some doctors resisted the effort, figuring they knew best, Williams said, but there’s much less pushback now that the collaborative has proven its value.
MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach started participating around 2010. The collaborative helps “vet through all the research that’s out there,” said Shari Kelly, executive director of perinatal services. “It’s just so important to really understand how we as health care providers can make a difference.”For example, if a woman loses a certain amount of blood after a vaginal delivery, “we know to activate what we call here a ‘code crimson,’ which brings blood to the bedside,” Kelly said. “We can act fast and stop any potential hemorrhage.”
She said the collaborative has also helped reduce racial inequities — bringing down the rate of cesarean sections among Black moms, for example.
In July, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a similar initiative to California’s, focused on the quality of maternal care nationwide: the first baseline health and safety requirements for maternal emergency and obstetric services in hospitals.When she got off the phone, she took a short break to share the story with her amused colleagues.
“We did have a little chat about that and, yeah, back to work I went,” she said. “On to the next call.”It appears the tall tale that all cats have nine lives may be true for a California Maine coon named Aggie.
The beloved feline was feared dead for two months after the Palisades wildfire in Los Angeles left her family’s home in ashes. But her owner, 82-year-old Katherine Kiefer, held out some hope.Over the weekend, Kiefer got a call from the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter. Her daughter Carolyn Kiefer shared their reunion Saturday in a TikTok video that quickly garnered more than 1 million likes. It shows tears pouring from Katherine Kiefer’s eyes as Aggie curled up in her arms.