Northside Hospital takes a team approach to boost the health of moms and babies.
Since coming to Northside Hospital Heart Institute, cardiologist Dr. Michele Voeltz has helped build a multidisciplinary approach to the heart care of pregnant women.
Why it matters: “We have a maternal mortality crisis in this country, particularly among Black women,” Dr. Voeltz said. “I have made it my life’s work to improve outcomes in this arena.”
- Georgia has among the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, and it’s even worse for Black women.
The work: Dr. Voeltz became interested in cardio-obstetrics (OB) early in her career, as an attending cardiologist in Detroit, after caring for a pregnant woman with mitral stenosis. She created a multidisciplinary team to address high-risk cardio-OB patients, which she said reduced morbidity and mortality rates “quite significantly.” That same approach has been taken on since Dr. Voeltz came to Northside Hospital, a national leader in births.
- “We at Northside Hospital Heart Institute have created an exceptional cardio-OB network of providers where we share ideas and learn and grow together,” she said.
- Dr. Voeltz said the Northside team has cared “for some of the sickest young mothers one can imagine” and pooled the hospital’s resources and expertise to improve outcomes.
The bottom line: Northside’s Cardio-OB Program continues to grow in number, expertise and is a leader locally, statewide and nationally to improve patient outcomes.
- We offer four cardio-OB clinics at our Atlanta, Cherokee, Forsyth and Gwinnett locations.
“I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a dynamic group of physicians and providers as well as our amazing patients,” Dr. Voeltz said. “We at the Northside Hospital Heart Institute will not rest until we have optimized outcomes for pregnant women and their babies.”
Learn more: Get more information about Northside’s Cardio-Obstetrics Program or call 404-845-8200.
