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Innovations for Maternal Health Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) |
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View this as a webpage
March 2024
Opening statement
Greetings from the Innovations in Maternal Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) team! We are thrilled to welcome you to our March newsletter. Whether you're joining us for the first time or have been with us for a while, we're delighted to have you onboard. In this edition, we will be sharing wellness tips, program updates, resources and reports, funding opportunities, upcoming engagement opportunities, and information about perinatal health.
As the weather transitions from winter to spring, take advantage of the longer days and milder temperatures by incorporating outdoor activities into your routine. Whether it's a brisk walk, a hike in nature, or gentle outdoor yoga. Spending time outdoors can boost your mood, increase vitamin D levels, and reduce stress. Embrace the beauty of the seasons changing and prioritize Incorporating mindful movement practices into your daily routine to improve flexibility, mobility, and overall well-being. Soaking up some sunshine and fresh air whenever you can. View the CDC link for more helpful tips! 8 Strategies for a Healthy Spring
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I-MOM background/purpose
The I-MOM (Innovations for Maternal Health Outcomes in Minnesota) program is a 5-year grant, funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The vision of I-MOM is to align and strengthen the implementation of innovative, data-driven, community-informed and supported perinatal health programs to improve outcomes for 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: 1) Build a shared vision for perinatal health, 2) Improve data access and expand surveillance, and 3) Improve the collection, reporting and analysis of AIM data.
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Michelle O’Brien MD, MPH, PMH-C
Physician advocate for Maternal Mental Health
Early on in my medical career, I recognized an affinity for women’s health and pediatrics which led me to family medicine. Once I began practice, I recognized the need to look at health from a broader perspective than the exam room and returned to school for a master's in public health in maternal and child health. In my 23 years of practice, I have worked in rural, urban, and academic settings. I currently split my time between providing mental health support and medication via telemedicine at Lyra Health and as one of the medical directors at UCare, non-profit health plan serving primarily Medicaid and Medicare populations.
After serving on MDH’s maternal and child health maternal advisory task force for the last 10 years, I was excited to serve as the co-chair of the perinatal sub-committee and work besides leaders in the community to improve maternal health outcomes in Minnesota. We enjoy great health outcomes in Minnesota overall, but there are huge disparities for women and families of color, and we are focusing our work on dismantling the systems and policies that create these disparities.
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Perinatal sub-committee 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. During the last quarter, the PSC made immense progress on the strategic plan. The committee is completing the final review of recommendations and is planning community engagement sessions to gather feedback on the strategic plan. Once this feedback is collected, the strategic plan will be revised and finalized.
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.
The I-MOM data team is continuing to plan and develop a public facing perinatal health dashboard. Dashboard development will continue in year two. Additionally, the I-MOM data team responded to multiple data requests and will soon begin a critical data linkage that will allow for more thorough and informative maternal health data. The team continues to provide data support to the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) as needed.
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) bundles and provide training to support quality improvement initiatives designed to improve perinatal health outcomes.
Currently, the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative’s (MNPQC) first cohort of hospital teams are in a maintenance period of the AIM bundle focused on the care for pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorder. This MNPQC quality improvement initiative transitioned from monthly calls to quarterly calls to sustain their initiative. The MNPQC is exploring a tiered approach of quality improvement models to align with hospitals’ level of readiness, priorities, and team availability. Through these approaches, the MNPQC will determine the next AIM bundle to meet the I-MOM program goal three dedicated to identifying and implementing AIM bundles designed to improve perinatal health outcomes.
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This section highlights perinatal health-related resources and reports. You can also find a list of books that cover topics related to health equity and reproductive justice. Please feel free to share these resources with your network.
Minnesota Maternal Mortality Report
The Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) continues to review cases of maternal death in Minnesota’ MDH recently released a report, Minnesota Maternal Mortality Report: Reporting for 2017-2019 showing that a majority of deaths in our state occur during the postpartum period and the key recommendations to address this include increasing access to care and improving the quality of care in the postpartum period.
The MMRC is recruiting individuals who represent communities with lived experience to serve, as well as practitioner who provide care to people with substance use disorders and providers serving in the rural parts of the state. Applications can be found on the website for the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and will be open until March 14, 2024. Questions can be directed to Health.Womens-Health@state.mn.us
Help Me Connect
Learn from local early childhood navigators – Deby Ziesmer with the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board and Fatima Ponciano with Growing Up Healthy (Northfield & Faribault) - as they share about their working supporting families with young children using Help Me Connect as a tool to find state and local programs in their communities. Three new videos highlight the relationship between a trusted professional and a parent/guardian as a key component to supporting families and their connections to services.
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Reading list
Battling Over Birth: Black Women and the Maternal Health Care Crisis (2018)
By: Julia Chinyere Oparah, Helen Arega, Dantia Hudson, Linda Jones, and Talita Oseguera
Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth (2019)
By: Dána-Ain Davis
Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine (2024)
By: Uche Blackstock, MD
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Request for Proposals Enhancing outcomes for pregnant/postpartum families impacted by substance use disorders (EOPI-SUD)
The Minnesota Department of Health’s Child and Family Health Division is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to identify, address, and respond to drug overdose and morbidity in those who are pregnant or have just given birth and their infants through multitiered approaches. Applicants are required to implement at least one recommendation from the Maternal Mortality Review Committee to address substance use disorders in pregnant and postpartum people. More information on the RFP can be found on Comprehensive Drug Overdose Response: Child and Family Health. Please send any questions on this opportunity to health.mch@state.mn.us.
Seeking Reviewers
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section seeks reviewers to score applications submitted for the Enhancing outcomes for pregnant/postpartum families impacted by substance use disorders (EOPI-SUD) Grant. This grant is a multi-year funding opportunity to support the improvement care for infants and pregnant and postpartum people using substances May 15, 2024-June 30, 2028.
Reviewers may include but are not limited to individuals or organizations experienced in working with parents and families with infants; pregnant and postpartum women/birthing people; and individuals or organizations with grants and project management experience. Reviewers will be required to identify any conflicts of interest and will not review a proposal if they have a direct relationship with the applicant.
Reviewers must be able to attend a one-hour virtual orientation session, date to-be-determined, score assigned applications, and attend a four-hour virtual community review team meeting the week of April 1, 2024. Please note that reviewers are expected to have reliable internet access to participate in virtual meetings.
Interested? Please complete this online application. The deadline to apply to be a grant reviewer is Fri., March 15, at 4 p.m. Please email health.mch@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
Minnesota Innovations in Perinatal and Infant Health RFP
The Minnesota Department of Health’s child and family health division is seeking proposals focused on improving infant and perinatal health outcomes for communities of color and American Indian communities. The Minnesota Innovations in Perinatal and Infant Health RFP aligns two key programs within the maternal and child health section leading perinatal health innovation within communities most impacted along with investment in community-based programs addressing infant health.
This funding opportunity will support two separate categories:
Category 1: Perinatal Health Innovations -- Innovative activities in community engagement and communications focused on improving perinatal health and supporting the perinatal health strategic plan.
Category 2: Infant Health Innovations -- Community-based programs that focus on the 4 risk factors of infant health: reducing preterm birth, sleep-related infant deaths, congenital malformations, and address social and environmental determinants of health.
Proposal applications are due by 11:59 p.m. (CST) on April 1, 2024.
Both letters of intent and proposal applications must be submitted via the grant interface portal, Foundant.
More information on the RFP can be found on the Minnesota Innovations in Perinatal and Infant Health webpage. Please send any questions on this opportunity to health.mch@state.mn.us.
Request for Reviewers: Minnesota Innovations in Perinatal and Infant Health
The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section seeks volunteer grant reviewers to participate in a community review process for the Minnesota Innovations in Perinatal and Infant Health Grant. These grants focus on improving infant and perinatal health outcomes for communities of color and American Indian communities.
We are especially seeking volunteers who:
- Identify as a person of color and/or American Indian.
- Come from across Minnesota’s urban and rural communities.
- Have lived experience in infant and perinatal health inequities.
- Have a background in infant and perinatal health.
- Have lived experience/or work with pregnant and postpartum women/birthing people: and parents and families with infants.
* Reviewers will be required to identify any conflicts of interest and will not review a proposal if they have a direct relationship with the applicant. The number of reviewers selected will be contingent on the number of applications received.
Reviewers will be asked to:
- Attend an optional 1-hour virtual reviewer orientation session, either March 26 or March 27.
- Review and score assigned applications in the Foundant grants management system.
- Attend a 4-hour virtual community review team meeting (select availability within April 9, 10 and/or 11). *
*Detailed information will be sent about the orientation session and review team meetings.
*Reviewers are expected to have reliable internet access to participate in the meetings.
Interested? Please complete this online application. The deadline to apply to be a grant reviewer is Wed., March 20, by 11:59 p.m. Please email health.mch@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
Find all other MDH grant opportunities at: Grants and Loans: Open Grant Opportunities
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This section highlights upcoming health-related webinars, conferences, and awareness days/months. These events are meant to share opportunities, raise awareness, and promote advocacy. Please feel free to share these resources with your network.
Webinars
Violence Prevention ECHO
- Tuesdays, March 5 – May 7, Noon – 2 p.m. (CST)
- Hosted by University of New Mexico Health Sciences’ Project ECHO
The Violence Prevention ECHO is an 8-week, one-hour per week virtual program for all health professionals, first responders, public health professionals, legal personnel, and educators. The curriculum is designed to create a community of practice among health providers, increasing knowledge and self-efficacy regarding the multi-factorial causes of violence (domestic violence/interpersonal violence/suicide/social determinants of health/environmental justice) and gun safety. This training will provide important communication skills and calls for action.
Conferences/trainings
AWHONN MN Section's 25th Annual Conference
April 18 – 19
Conference Agenda
The Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics & Neonatal Nurses MN Section is a growing community of nurses interested in the issues of women and newborns. Please browse the attached site to find out more about the chapter, what we do, and available resources to promote the health of women and newborns.
2024 Minnesota Rural Health Conference
June 17 – 18
The Minnesota Rural Health Conference — hosted by the Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, the Minnesota Rural Health Association, and the National Rural Health Resource Center — annually seeks to support, connect, and inspire rural health professionals and leaders from across the state as they work toward the goal of building healthy communities.
The two-day conference, which has historically attracted more than 500 people from all regions of Minnesota, offers attendees opportunities:
- To expand their knowledge of all things rural health in Minnesota — including insights on the latest industry trends.
- To network with professionals and industry representatives from across the state, region, and country — to share ideas, best practices, solutions, and contacts.
Awareness Weeks/Months
Developmental disabilities awareness month 2024
Each March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), and its partners work together to create a social media campaign that highlights the many ways in which people with and without disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities. The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.
The 2024 development disabilities awareness month theme is “A World of Opportunities”.
“A World of Opportunities” – we’re celebrating people and working together to remove obstacles. Our goal is to build a community that’s committed to creating a world where everyone can do well and succeed. Join us in making a world where all kinds of people have the chance to thrive.
National public health week 2024
April 1 – 7
Links to resources:
During the first full week of April each year, the American Public Health Association brings together communities across the United States to observe National Public Health Week as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation's health. For over 25 years, APHA has served as the organizer of NPHW. Every year, the Association develops a national campaign to educate the public, policymakers and practitioners about issues related to each year's theme. APHA creates new NPHW materials each year that can be used during and after NPHW to raise awareness about public health and prevention.
Black maternal health week 2024
April 11– 17
Held annually on April 11-17, Black maternal health week is a week-long campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people. The week is intentionally held during national minority health month and begins on April 11 annually to join dozens of global organizations in marking this day as international day for maternal health and rights – an opportunity to advocate for the elimination of maternal mortality globally. The activities and conversations hosted throughout the week intentionally center the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.
National women’s health month 2024
May 2024
National women’s health week is celebrated each year, beginning on Mother’s Day, to encourage women and girls to make their health a priority. The theme for last year was, “Women’s health, whole health: Prevention, care, and well-being”. Stay tuned for the 2024 theme!
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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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