Global Pittsburgh International Health Leader Cohort Visits JHF to Learn about Women’s Health Initiatives

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) hosted 11 healthcare professionals from nine countries who were nominated by the U.S. embassies for the project "Mitigating Challenges in Women's Health" to learn about the Foundation's women's health initiatives, particularly the work of Pittsburgh: A Safer Childbirth City and the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative.

The delegation included medical professionals involved in women's healthcare treatment and disease prevention education programs included nurses, doctors, hospital administrators, Ministry of Health officials, educators, non-governmental organization (NGO) staff, and social workers.

During the visit to JHF, Chief Policy Officer Robert Ferguson, MPH, Jennifer Condel, SCT(ASCP)MT, manager, lean healthcare strategy and implementation, and PA PQC and Pittsburgh: A Safer Childbirth City project manager Sara Nelis, RN provided an overview of the Foundation's work and structure, including the Foundation's work on creating a National Patient Safety Board, the ways its fellowship programs are supporting healthcare systems experiencing workforce shortages, and the programs it has implemented to support maternal health care across Pennsylvania to increase access to services and work towards health equity.

Discussions centered on the challenges and successes of using information technology systems to increase quality of care, accurate data collection in the healthcare space, serving women in rural areas, social determinants of health and how those are addressed, and how the pandemic underscored the fragility of health systems and staffing.