During labor things said can get lost in the rush – like a patient not knowing an incoming doctor’s name at the start of a new shift. Or sometimes patients worry about where their doctors are and if their personal concerns during delivery are being addressed.

It’s why a program called TeamBirth has been implemented at Dartmouth Health’s member hospitals with labor and delivery services.

TeamBirth was developed by Ariadne Labs, a health systems research center with the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It addresses the health complications, mistreatment and high maternal mortality rates seen in the United States.

According to Ariadne Labs, 80 to 90% of patient harm comes from miscommunication between doctors and patients, with higher risks for Black and Indigenous people.

New Hampshire is the fifth state in the country to implement TeamBirth to all of its hospitals.

Dr. Emily Donelan is the medical director of the birthing pavilion at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, which launched their plan earlier this month. She said TeamBirth involves doctors, patients and their support teams, like doulas and midwives, writing out birth plans and important information on a whiteboard. It’s a way to make sure everyone is on the same page and patients feel empowered.

“I think the real goal is to prevent the telephone,” Donelan said. “That often happens in hospitals where the patient says something to the nurse, and then the nurse comes to the doctor, and then the doctor goes to the patient, but they’re not all in the same room simultaneously, and things can get lost.”

The whiteboard is just a tool for discussions patients and doctors will have with each other as labor begins. Donelan said that at various points during the delivery, especially when major decisions are made, doctors and patients will huddle at the patient’s bedside and discuss steps and options. The aim, she said, is to focus on the patient.

Doctors will ask the patient’s preferred name, how they want themselves and their baby to be treated, and encourage patients to use the whiteboard themselves – writing down questions, concerns and important information.

“So really eliciting their goals, their hopes, their dreams for their labor to make sure that before we jump into the plan and the decision making, we’re really centering what they want from this experience and hearing their voice first,” Donelan said.

Foundation for Healthy Families, the New Hampshire Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Unravel Healthcare are spearheading the TeamBirth initiative which is expanding to all hospitals with a labor and delivery unit in the state.

Exeter Hospital started implementing TeamBirth in 2024.

So far, the hospital has received positive feedback from patients who say they’ve felt heard and respected, says April St. Hilaire, director of The Family Center, The Center for Reproductive Care & Maternal Fetal Medicine at Exeter Hospital.

“Even in patients that don’t have the best outcomes, so to speak, like, let’s say they end up with a C-section versus a vaginal delivery, which happens, they still felt like they had a wonderful experience and were very well cared for,” St. Hilaire said.

St. Hilaire said it’s the shared decision making, as opposed to a patient being debriefed after a major decision is made, that can help healthcare providers earn trust.

Concord Hospital is rolling out TeamBirth this coming April.

Melissa Devine, director of Concord Hospital’s Women and Children’s Value Stream, said they’ve been building towards the launch of TeamBirth since October. She said TeamBirth isn’t an earth shattering shift – it’s really making sure everyone is on the same page during a significant life event.

“As we travel through the process, we know patients want transparency,” Devine said. “They want to be able to understand time frames. ‘When is my provider going to see me?’ And all of those little moments build the trust and just build the essence of making sure that everyone is on the same page when things matter most.”

Devine said Concord Hospital will also have prenatal services modeling TeamBirth at Laconia starting from six weeks gestation to after the first year of a newborn’s life.

If you’re seeking the best, New Jersey has it all!

From the best beaches, best steakhouses to the greenest cities, the Garden State has wanderers covered.

And, as one of safest states in America, it also offers the comforts of suburban living and the conveniences of being near big cities, says travelandleisure.com.

The travel magazine report on 10 best places to live in New Jersey sourced real estate experts from the entire state to find the towns that offer idyllic living.

Out of the top 10 picks of New Jersey cities, towns, and boroughs one on the list resides on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County.

Asbury Park was ranked as the second best place to live in New Jersey. In addition, this Jersey Shore town was crowned the Best small beach town in America.

Below is what the writers said about Asbury Park:

The shore town is best known for its boardwalk and the music venue, as well as a freewheeling vibe that makes it as enticing for visitors as it is for residents. 

Located on the Jersey Shore about 60 miles south of New York City, the beach town’s average home sales were around $662,000 accordig to zillow.com rates. Plus, there’s been a 58.7 percent increase in owner-occupied households, according to a Point2Homes study, showing folks are making their moves more permanent.

Here is what real estate editors said about Asbury Park:

Bruce Springsteen was onto something when he named his 1973 album “Greetings from Asbury Park.” “Everyone loves to live here with the art and music scene, the food, the balance of being in a peaceful neighborhood within walking distance of a vibrant downtown with tons of thriving small businesses, and obviously the beach!” Chin said.

10 Best Places to Live in New Jersey

1. Jersey City
2. Asbury Park
3. Montvale
4. Woodland Park
5. Woodcliff Lake
6. Morristown
7. Fair Lawn
8. Tenafly
9. Hamilton
10. Monroe

Home care for aging parents, adults with disabilities in Philadelphia

Leaders at the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, which represents about 700 home care, home health and hospice agencies, say the industry’s workforce, about 290,000 people, is not growing at the same pace as the client population.

Low pay, moderate benefits and high burnout are making it increasingly hard to attract and retain workers, said association leaders, who estimate more than 112,000 direct care shifts go unfilled every month because of shortages.

“When you already can’t find somebody to do the work and then you’re not paying those folks well, those folks can go somewhere else and make more money,” Harris said. “Then you have more people who should be getting services, who need those services, who aren’t.”

Harris, who represents parts of South and West Philadelphia, recently met with families who depend on home care services, like the Walker family.

A home care worker comes by a couple times a week to support Barbara Walker’s adult son, Anthony, who has an intellectual and developmental disability.

In the past, Walker said she would often have to take off from work to stay home if Anthony was having a bad day or needed specialized services.

“It was hard. It was really hard,” she said. “It took a whole lot of time and patience.”