In 2011, the Oregon Chapter of the March of Dimes, at the direction of Joanne Rogovoy, convened a meeting of the leadership of the largest birthing hospitals in Oregon to discuss reducing early preterm deliveries. At that time, there was a growing body of evidence to suggest that unindicated, or elective, delivery prior to 39 weeks gestational age was associated with adverse neonatal outcomes compared with those babies born after 39 weeks. This discussion led to the creation of the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative and a statewide call to end all elective deliveries prior to 39 weeks gestational age. In doing so, Oregon became the first state to implement a “hard stop” policy at the state level.

These efforts resulted in a statewide reduction in early term deliveries. This was seen in both cesarean sections and inductions of labor, while the rate of spontaneous labor remained essentially unchanged. The OPC continues to partner with March of Dimes to encourage birthing hospitals to continue their commitment to stopping all elective deliveries before 39 weeks.