Hospital Surpasses Federal Target with a Rate of 22.6 Percent

Colton, CA – Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) surpassed a federal target aimed at reducing Cesarean births (C-sections) for first-time mothers with low-risk pregnancies, according to the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS). The agency announced the achievement award on behalf of Smart Care California, a coalition of public and private health care purchasers that collectively purchase or manage care for more than 16 million people in the state.

To respond to a rapid rise in unnecessary C-sections across the United States, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services adopted the Healthy People 2020 target of reducing nationwide C-section rates to 23.9 percent. Efforts are working in California as low-risk, first-birth C-section rates have decreased from 27.3 percent in 2013 to 25.0 percent in 2016.

In January 2018, California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley recognized hospitals who met or surpassed the 23.9 percent target. ARMC surpassed the federal target with a rate of 22.6 percent.

“The decline in ARMC’s rate for low-risk, first birth C-sections is the result of working to change our culture by educating physicians, nurses and support staff and working closely with mothers to explain their options,” said Guillermo Valenzuela, M.D., Chairman of Women’s Health Services. “The fact that ARMC made the Smart Care C-section Honor Roll shows our efforts are changing the culture.”

Births in California account for about one in eight of all U.S. births, or 500,000 births annually. While life-saving in certain cases, C-sections can pose serious risks to both babies and mothers, and once a woman has a C-section, she has a 9 in 10 chance of having a C-section for subsequent births, increasing her risk of major complications.

About Smart Care California

Smart Care California is a public-private partnership working to promote safe, affordable health care in California. The group currently focuses on three issues: C-sections, opioids and low back pain. Collectively, Smart Care California participants purchase or manage care for 40 percent of the state.

About Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

ARMC is a 456-bed university-affiliated teaching hospital licensed by the State of California Department of Public Health, operated by the County of San Bernardino, and governed by the Board of Supervisors. The hospital, located on a 70-acre campus in Colton, California, operates a regional burn center, level II trauma center, primary stroke center, a behavioral health center, five primary care centers including four family health centers, and provides more than 40 outpatient specialty care services. ARMC is helping to achieve the Countywide Vision by addressing the community’s wellness and educational needs. For more information on the Countywide Vision, visit: www.sbcounty.gov/vision. For more information about ARMC visit www.arrowheadmedcenter.org. Follow ARMC on Twitter at @ArrowheadRMC for important announcements and updates, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arrowheadregional.