WhidbeyHealth Receives Statewide Award for TeamBirth Maternity Care Program

WhidbeyHealth and PeaceHealth United General Medical Center were presented with the Washington State Hospital Association’s Rural Quality Every Day Extraordinary Award at the Rural Hospital Leadership Conference in Chelan, summer 2026. WhidbeyHealth earned the honor for adopting TeamBirth, an evidence‑based maternity‑care model created by Ariadne Labs—a collaboration between Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The model uses bedside planning boards and regular “huddles” to improve communication and shared decision‑making among patients, support people, and clinicians, leading to higher patient ratings for communication, care planning, pain control, respect, and overall birth experience. PeaceHealth United General Medical Center was recognized for a program that reduced catheter‑associated urinary tract infections by applying High Reliability Organization principles and frontline quality‑improvement methods. WSHA senior vice president of clinical excellence Darcy Jaffe said the initiatives demonstrate how rural hospitals can innovate to improve patient safety and outcomes across Washington.