NEWS R W J M S Stop. Look. Listen! H I G H L I G H T S F R O M To Have and To Hold: Maternal Safety and the Delivery of Safe Patient Care an interprofessional continuing education conference on maternal health and safety Children with Developmental Disorders Face Long Waits, Language Barriers New Jersey Establishes Maternal Health Awareness Day A 62 were reached in Spanish ccording to a new within a 24-hour period of study from Manuel the initial call; nearly oneJimenez, MD ’03, MS, assisthird did not offer any tant professor of pediatrics Spanish-language services and family medicine and for the caller. community health, the wait Dr. Jimenez, who also is time to see a developmental an attending developmental and behavioral pediatriand behavioral pediatrician cian—only 1,000 of whom at PSE&G Childexist nationally— ren’s Specialized is nearly six Hospital, emphamonths. In addisizes that more tion, the study work is needed to found that an identify strategies insufficient numthat provide betber of developter access to all mental pediatric children who are programs offer in need of specialaccommodations ized services, as for non-EnglishManuel Jimenez, MD, MS developmental speaking families. and behavioral problems Published in the Journal are among the most prevaof Developmental & lent health concerns faced Behavioral Pediatrics, the by children. study explored the barriers Along with Dr. Jimenez, to obtaining an appointthe research team included ment for an initial evaluation; it was undertaken Emmanuel M. Alcaraz, a stuafter no documented evident in the MD/PhD prodence on the subject was gram at the medical school; found. Members of the Jerome Williams, PhD, Disresearch team posed as tinguished Professor and “mystery shoppers,” calling Prudential Chair in specialized developmental Business, Rutgers Business pediatric programs associatSchool; and Brian L. Strom, ed with children’s hospitals MD, MPH, chancellor, across the country to Rutgers Biomedical and request an appointment. Of Health Sciences. Dr. the 140 unique programs Jimenez’s work is supported that were called, 75—only by the Robert Wood 55 percent—provided an Johnson Foundation’s estimate wait time, with an Harold Amos Medical average of nearly five and a Faculty Development half months. Among these, Program. I JOHN EMERSON T he tragic death of Tara Hansen from an undetected infection six days after she gave birth spurred the creation of the Tara Hansen Foundation in 2013, leading to new interprofessional education at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. With strong support from Gloria Bachmann, MD, interim chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology and associate dean for women’s health, the foundation developed a “MD/MBA Program to Know” O n December 23, 2016, Becker’s Hospital Review highlighted the medical school’s joint MD/ MBA program as one of its “MD/MBA programs to know.” The five-year MD/MBA program is a collaborative effort with Rutgers Business School–New Brunswick. It is designed to provide medical students with the knowledge and skills necessary for positions in the health care industry that require expertise in the medical as well as economic aspects of health care. I “Stop. Look. Listen!” campaign empowering women’s voices during pregnancy and the birth process. “Stop. Look. Listen!” resonated with New Jersey State Senator Joseph Vitale, who sponsored legislation, signed into law May 11, establishing January 23 each year as Maternal Health Awareness Day in New Jersey to raise awareness of maternal health, safety, and mortality issues. This includes New Jersey’s recent implementation of AIM, the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, which is a national data-driven maternal safety and quality improvement initiative. The legislation cites the efforts of the Tara Hansen Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in developing the campaign and the support of the project by Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, the New Jersey section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the New Jersey Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, New Jersey Section of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, and the New Jersey Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives. I —Courtesy of Rutgers Today 34 Robert Wood Johnson I MEDICINE