Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center’s maternity team received the 2024 Minogue Award, Maryland’s highest honor for patient safety innovation. Shady Grove has implemented new infant feeding processes across its NICU, maternity and pediatric units. This includes a protocol for providing glucose gel and making donor breast milk more accessible for parents of babies with low blood sugar. The hospital, home to Maryland’s only hospital-based Milk Depot, provides pasteurized donor milk to mothers experiencing breastfeeding challenges. It also serves as a drop-off location for mothers screened to donate their surplus breast milk. The updated feeding initiative cut the NICU admission rate for infants with hypoglycemia nearly in half, from 10.7% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2020. It has also contributed to a decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). In fact, as of December 2024, the NICU at Shady Grove celebrated six years without a CLABSI. 

Why We Did It

In 2019, Shady Grove discovered that low blood sugar was the second most common reason for newborn admission to the NICU. The hospital wanted to decrease these admissions and improve outcomes for newborns. The project also aimed to reduce medical, resource, racial and social disparities related to newborn care.

Topics: Food Security/Nutrition|Health Equity and Access to Care|Maternal Health Care