Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon was among the top 10 hospitals in Virginia recognized by the Virginia Department of Social Services, in conjunction with the Virginia Paternity Establishment Program for excellent performances in paternity establishment rates in 2022.
The hospitals selected average a percent paternity establishment rate higher than the state’s average of 77 percent.
The VDSS Division of Child Support Enforcement sponsors VPEP, which is operated by Veritas-HHS. VPEP is a program which offers unmarried parents the opportunity to establish paternity of newborn children by voluntarily acknowledging fatherhood during their hospital stay. VPEP also supports paternity establishment should unmarried parents decide later that they would like to add the father to the birth certificate. The Commonwealth has a total of 53 birthing hospitals that serve parents statewide by promoting paternity establishment through the VPEP.
“The benefits of establishing paternity are vast and vary from increasing a child’s self-esteem to establishing a more complete health history,” said Yesenia Peiker, VPEP project manager. “It is imperative that we continually advocate for paternity establishment on behalf of the children. A child, who has an established bond with his or her father, has greater access to emotional support and social and economic opportunities.”
The hospital with the highest paternity establishment rate in 2022 of 84.34 percent is Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“I feel proud that through my work I can help the children of Virginia grow up with a sense of identity that lets them know they are part of a family,” said Marion Turner, lead birth registrar at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital.
The Commonwealth’s 77 percent average establishment rate reflects a 1 percent increase from 2021. This upward trend is another notable achievement for the Commonwealth.
Johnston Memorial was No. 9 in the state with a paternity establishment rate of 81.43 percent.
