Critical 'STORK' training in Miss.

LAUREL, Miss. - Mississippi's infant mortality ranks among the highest in the country. 

Enter “STORK Training,” created by the University of Mississippi Medical Center several years ago, for rural area emergency responders, nurses and providers outside of hospitals to help save the lives of pre-term babies and work with mothers who can experience a plethora of life-threatening complications before and after giving birth. 

The rural medical and nursing personnel need the tools to stabilize mom and baby in trouble - to keep them alive - until transported to a higher level of care.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is making that happen by taking hands-on training on the road and directly to those who need it the most. 

“It’s a great resource for our medical providers (in Ellisville), particularly pre-hospital providers," said Eric William, assistant director of Emergency Technology at Jones College. 

In the Pine Belt, higher levels of care can be as much as a half-hour away from definitive care for neo-nates and obstetric emergencies, he says. 

The lessons from "STORK Training" gives those who perform rural lifesaving tasks with hands-on simulation experiences to better help prepare participants for real-life situations and not the ones that are picture-perfect. 

The simulation technology available in these courses makes the situation more realistic, better preparing caregivers for situations outside of the lecture hall.

Participants said that the instruction they got July 19 will make them better in the field. 

Once it's explained to the participants, “(Y)ou kind of see their eyes get big and they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh this is so much information’ and when the scenarios start happening, you see the wheels start spinning," Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Emily Wells told WDAM. “The light bulb goes off, and they’re like I’ve got this."

More than 60 people attended Wednesday’s class in Laurel, making it the largest STORK class ever held. (WDAM 07/19/23) ‘STORK Training’ in Laurel helping to decrease infant mortality rates in Mississippi (wdam.com) 

STORK Training stands for Stabilizing OB and Neonatal Patients, Training for OB/Neonatal Emergencies, Outcome Improvements, Resource Sharing, and Kind Care for Vulnerable Families.