McLaren Bay Region Honored for Hepatitis Vaccine Birth Dose Rate

The McLaren Bay Region Family BirthPlace has been recognized by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) for achieving one of the highest reported rates in the state for its work to protect newborns from hepatitis B virus infection.

"The staff and physicians of the Family BirthPlace are honored to be recognized for our consistently high Hepatitis B Birth Dose rates just by ‘Doing What's Best’ for the newborns and families in our community,” said Lori Skrzysinski, Patient Care Services Manager of the McLaren Bay Region Family BirthPlace.

The McLaren Bay Region Family BirthPlace is the newest entry into IAC’s Birth Dose Honor Roll, which recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that have attained high coverage levels for administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The Family BirthPlace immunized 94-95 percent of babies from January 2014 through December 2017 and took additional steps to prevent perinatal transmission of hepatitis B.

The national standard of care to prevent hepatitis B virus infection in babies is to administer hepatitis B vaccine to all newborns before they leave the hospital or birthing center. This standard is being adopted by centers of healthcare excellence nationwide as a safety net to protect newborns from a wide range of medical errors that lead to babies being unprotected from perinatal hepatitis B infection.

“Hospitals and birthing centers have a responsibility to protect babies from life-threatening hepatitis B infection,” said Deborah Wexler, MD, executive director and founder of IAC. “McLaren Bay Region’s commitment to the best practice of hepatitis B vaccination at birth has shown them to be a leader in preventing the transmission of the hepatitis B virus.”

The Family BirthPlace provides family-centered maternity care that has been trusted for generations. By offering services including prenatal classes, programs for first time fathers and breastfeeding support, the Family BirthPlace helps families feel supported from the start of a pregnancy through the time the baby returns home.