SAFE Birth VA (Standardized Approaches for Emergencies in Birth – Virginia), a Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC) initiative ordered in 2025 through HB2753/SB1279, ensures the greatest possible standards of maternal care across healthcare facilities in the Commonwealth. Through this initiative, the VNPC works with all Virginia hospitals that have a labor and delivery unit or emergency department, freestanding emergency departments, and birthing centers. The goal of this work is to equip facilities with evidence-based emergency protocols, checklists, and templates for identifying and responding to a wide range of obstetric emergencies. 

During the initial launch phase (July 1 – September 30, 2025), the VNPC built infrastructure to manage SAFE Birth activities, including a public webpage (https://govnpc.org/initiatives/safebirthva/), two informational webinars, and a quality improvement survey that closed with responses from 71 facilities, yielding a picture of facility readiness and gaps related to obstetric emergencies across the Commonwealth. 

Click here to read the full report for SAFE Birth activities thus far.