The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has contracted with FirstPoint Management Resources of Raleigh, N.C., to provide operational and staff support for this growing national healthcare organization and welcomes Denna Suko as Executive Director. CIMS' contract with FirstPoint represents the beginning of an exciting new chapter in CIMS' history and sets the stage for bringing about the next steps in the research supporting mother-friendly childbirth, expanding the organization, increasing the quality and reach of the CIMS Annual Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum and exploring new avenues for getting mothers the care they deserve.

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) April 4, 2008 -- The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) has contracted with FirstPoint Management Resources of Raleigh, N.C., to provide operational and staff support for this growing national healthcare organization and welcomes Denna Suko as Executive Director. CIMS' contract with FirstPoint represents the beginning of an exciting new chapter in CIMS' history and sets the stage for bringing about the next steps in the research supporting mother-friendly childbirth, expanding the organization, increasing the quality and reach of the CIMS Annual Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum and exploring new avenues for getting mothers the care they deserve.

"CIMS stands at a threshold of tremendous potential for expansion," said CIMS Chair Mayri Sagady Leslie, CNM, MSN. "With these resources now in place, the enormous volunteer base of professionals, activists and consumers behind CIMS can focus on achieving evidence-based maternity care for mothers and their babies."

CIMS is encouraged by the increased national interest in health care quality improvement initiatives and has developed its own "Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey" with the goal of extending the current social trend toward transparency in health care into the virtually overlooked maternity care arena. Despite emphasis on evidence-based medicine, cost-containment, and patient safety, the overuse of medical technology continues to rise without concomitant improvements in maternal or infant outcomes. The Birth Survey provides women a vehicle for sharing information about maternity care practices in their community while at the same time providing practitioners and institutions feedback for quality of care improvement efforts. As they become available, the official facility-level intervention rates gathered from the state departments of health will be paired with the women's survey responses. The Birth Survey is currently being piloted in New York City and will launch nationally this fall. For more information, please visit www.thebirthsurvey.com.

At FirstPoint, Ms. Suko will provide leadership toward the economic viability and purposeful success of the organization. Ms. Suko comes to CIMS from the American Academy of Ophthalmology where she led the organization's political fundraising and federal grassroots advocacy programs.

The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and well-being of mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.

Contact:
Denna Suko
(919) 863-9482
(DSuko @ FirstPointResouces.com)

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