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Innovations for Maternal Health Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) |
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Greetings from the Innovations in Maternal Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) team! We are thrilled to release the first edition of the I-MOM e-newsletter. In this quarterly e-newsletter, we will be sharing program updates, resources and reports, upcoming engagement opportunities, and information about perinatal health.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!
The I-MOM (Innovations in Maternal Outcomes in Minnesota) program is funded by a 5-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The vision of I-MOM is to align and strengthen the implementation of innovative, data-driven, and community-informed and supported perinatal health programs to improve outcomes for Minnesota communities experiencing the highest rates of disparities (Black, American Indian, other populations of color, new immigrants, refugees, and rural).
The program has three main goals: Build a shared vision for perinatal health, improve data access and expand surveillance, and improve the collection, reporting and analysis of AIM (Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health) data.
To provide an opportunity to engage and learn about each perinatal sub-committee (PSC) member, we are offering a spotlight in the newsletter for members to contribute. Our first spotlight is contributed by Najoicia Elmore, a co-chair of the PSC. Her contributions and guidance to the PSC are invaluable.
Najoicia Elmore, MSW, LGSW,
Mental Health Expert and Consultant
I find joy in helping others navigate life and identify various ways to grow through their individual circumstances while becoming stronger in the process. Growing up, I have witnessed various forms of adversity, disparities, and inequities and have realized how these also play a major role in individuals seeking support or feeling heard in a time of need. My 15 years of experience as a clinical social worker and therapist has allowed me to work directly with women, children, families, and community organizations to collaborate and address the needs of support, training, and the advancement of the wellbeing and engagement in communities of color. I am the founder of More Too Love, LLC and serve on the board of directors for the National Association of Social Work (MN). I hold certifications as a Mental Health First Aid Trainer, Certified Doula, Forensic Interviewer, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Trainer.
I decided to become a co-chair due to my experience as a Black woman and my extensive work within communities of color who often express the feeling of not being seen, heard, safe, or valued in their individual lived experiences when seeking support or services. I believe representation matters and am excited to serve in a position to collectively advance mental and maternal health experiences and advance health equity outcomes overall!
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Perinatal sub-committee (PSC) updates: goal 1
The first goal of the I-MOM program is to build a shared vision for perinatal health by bringing together communities to create alignment among goals, priorities, and actions.
Through this goal, the Perinatal Sub-Committee (PSC) was created as a sub-group of the Maternal and Child Health Advisory Task Force in January 2023. The PSC is a multidisciplinary, diverse, and community-led committee that is building a shared vision for perinatal health. Within the first year, the PSC recruited a diverse membership, assigned co-chairs, created community agreements, and made significant progress in the creation of their strategic plan. Rather than starting from scratch to create this plan, the PSC was committed to building off and aligning to existing efforts across state, county and community level initiatives on infant and maternal health that have produced recommendations. The PSC has identified six main strategy areas and is in the process of creating and adapting recommendations under these areas. The next phase will be to gather community feedback on these strategies and recommendations.
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Data updates: goal 2
The second goal of the I-MOM program is to increase timely, high-quality state perinatal health data to support surveillance and inform the development of innovative perinatal health programs.
In the first year, the I-MOM data team was created (maternal health epidemiologist and state maternal and child health epidemiologist) to help build and advance existing data programming within the Minnesota Department of Health. To acquire the critical data tied to our maternal data enhancements innovation strategy, the I-MOM data team secured numerous agreements that required coordination across multiple programs and agencies. Additionally, the I-MOM data team is assessing data documentation across local, state, and national resources to make informed decisions on data definitions, collection, and functionality to guide dashboard development. Within the first year, data analysis on substance use disorder was conducted to support quality improvement work led by our state Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Additional data analysis on perinatal health topics and creating a public facing perinatal health dashboard will continue into year two.
AIM program updates: goal 3
The third goal of the I-MOM program is to identify and implement AIM (Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health) patient safety bundles by providing training to support quality improvement initiatives designed to improve perinatal health outcomes.
The Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) began their first AIM bundle focused on the care for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorder. The MNPQC provided a platform for multiple innovation strategies through implementing a quality improvement model with technical assistance activities designed to support a successful AIM program. Technical assistance sessions were held with 12 hospital teams from six health systems with over half of the hospitals located outside of the metro area. The MNPQC works in partnership with the I-MOM data team and the MNPQC data workgroup to navigate data challenges to support timely AIM data submissions.
Communications updates
In the first year of the I-MOM program, the communications team created the communications infrastructure for the program by creating webpages for I-MOM and the Perinatal Sub-Committee on the Minnesota Department of Health’s website.
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This section highlights perinatal health-related resources and reports. Please feel free to share these resources with your network.
Minnesota Maternal Mortality Report
This report includes the findings of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) regarding birthing people who died during or within one year after the end of their pregnancy in 2017-2018. A comprehensive review of these deaths was done by the MMRC, which is multidisciplinary and includes diverse members from systems and programs serving birthing people. Through the committee’s review, recommendations were made for changes to policy, programs, systems, practice guidelines, and health care providers' services. The recommendations focus on preventing pregnancy-associated deaths and improving health equity and birth outcomes.
White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis
The White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis contains 50 actions that over a dozen agencies will undertake to help improve maternal care.
The blueprint outlines five goals to address the maternal health crisis:
- Increase access to and coverage of comprehensive, high-quality maternal health services, including behavioral health services.
- Ensure those giving birth are heard and are decision-makers in accountable systems of care.
- Advance data collection, standardization, transparency, research, and analysis.
- Expand and diversify the perinatal workforce.
- Strengthen economic and social supports for people before, during, and after pregnancy.
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Maternal & Infant Health SUD/OUD Perinatal Online Conference: Asset Management Perinatal Care through the Fourth Trimester
January 17-18, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Wayside Recovery Center is hosting the Maternal & Infant Health Substance Use Disorder (SUD)/ Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Perinatal Online Conference on January 17-18, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wayside delivers gender-specific and trauma-informed SUD treatment and mental health services for women and their families. The conference will focus on “Asset Management Perinatal Care through the Fourth Trimester: A Harm Reduction Approach.” Attendees can earn continuing education units (CEU). Najoicia Elmore, co-chair of the perinatal sub-committee, will be the keynote speaker on day two of the conference (Jan. 18).
Session Topics include:
- Day 1: Education, interdisciplinary strategies, and tools
- Day 2: Access, action, comprehensive training
Maternal Health Awareness Day:
Jan. 23, 2024
Access to maternal health care has become increasingly difficult for many patients. To address the maternal mortality crisis in the United States, it is essential to bring awareness to the challenges individuals face in getting adequate and timely access to care. Maternal Health Awareness Day will be on Jan.23, 2024 to bring much-needed focus on this issue.
Please visit ACOG Mental Health Awareness Day to learn about more ways you can participate.
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Funder information
This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a 5-year grant cycle expected with a total of $5,000,000. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.
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