Project Goal 1: Reduce unnecessary cesarean births

In 2018, Mississippi had the highest total cesarean rate, the highest primary cesarean rate, the highest NTSV (low-risk, first-time moms) cesarean rate, the highest percentage of patients with a previous cesarean birth and the lowest rate of VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) in the United States.

Physicians in Jackson, Mississippi, perform cesarean births at a much higher rate than those in most other regions in the United States. Among first-time moms with low-risk births living in Rankin County and Hinds County, 39.3% and 37.0% gave birth by cesarean from 2016-2018, respectively. Rankin County residents have the 4th highest low-risk cesarean rate in the country, while Hinds County residents have the 7th highest among all counties with 100,000 residents or more. Read more at US News

While cesarean births are sometimes the safest mode of birth, they are major surgeries that increase maternal risk of infection, blood clots, hemorrhage, and result in a longer average NICU stay for babies. Long-term overuse of cesarean birth at the population level has resulted in a parallel rise in the number of cases of placenta accreta, a dangerous pregnancy complication with high mortality rate.

Jackson-area hospitals include Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Merit Health Central, St. Dominic Memorial Hospital, Merit Health River Oaks Hospital, and Merit Health Woman’s Hospital.