Mission

To improve pregnancy and birth outcomes by promoting evidence-based practices, and providing leadership, education and support to professionals and systems caring for women and their families.

Since it was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1981, PAC/LAC’s singular mission is ensuring that pregnant women, new mothers, their babies, and families are cared for by the most competent, caring professionals, in well-equipped health care settings. For over 30 years, PAC/LAC has been committed to making ensuring that newborns and their parents receive no less than the best perinatal care in hospitals across Southern California.

Demonstrated through its three fundamental goals – Leadership, Advocacy and Consultation – PAC/LAC has a long-standing reputation of excellence in the community for its work, and is known as a beacon of support, providing valued consultation to nurses, physicians and health care providers, and endorsing public policies and key legislation benefiting childbirth and perinatal care.

History

Following a March of Dimes directive recommending the creation of a perinatal regionalization system (Towards Improving the Outcome of Pregnancy – TIOP I) recommending the creation of a perinatal regionalization system to increase optimal outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth, PAC/LAC was born in 1979 through the efforts of a band of local community physicians, who sought to improve the outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth in area hospitals.

The fledgling group, which began advocating its cause in an advisory capacity through consultation, referral, and cooperation with health care professionals and institutions providing perinatal care, evolved into a more cohesive working unit in 1981, and in 1984, earned its 501c3 status.

Through the State of California Department of Health Services, Maternal Child Health PAC/LAC was officially established as an RPPC – a Regional Perinatal Program of California in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties in 1980.

Today we continue to aid in the development and support of a regionalized perinatal health system, striving to achieve a superior level of risk-appropriate care for triaging pregnant women, and critically ill newborns in hospitals within our region.

Values

PAC/LAC’s core values for improving maternal and child health have remained constant for over 30 years - a promise to lead, advocate and consult with others.

Leadership: providing guidance to healthcare professionals, hospitals and healthcare systems, stimulating higher levels of excellence and improving outcomes for mothers and babies

Advocacy: providing a voice for healthcare professionals and healthcare systems to improve public policy and state legislation on issues that impact the maternal, child and adolescent population

Consultation:  providing and promoting dialogue among healthcare professionals with the expectation of shared excellence in the systems that care for women and children