Maternal Health

Maternal Health / en Sat, 14 Jun 2025 13:36:47 -0500 Thu, 12 Jun 25 15:16:09 -0500 New program at Texas Health Harris Methodist Alliance supports laboring mothers throughout delivery /role-hospitals-new-program-texas-health-harris-methodist-alliance-supports-laboring-mothers-throughout-delivery <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="col-md-5"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-teambirth-alliance-shannonm-700x532.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type="file" alt="Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance team member Shannon Manchesi" width="700" height="532">Shannon Manchesi.&nbsp;Photo Credit: Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance</div>When Crystal arrived at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance to deliver her third child, she was met with a new approach to childbirth that immediately put her at ease. As the first patient to experience the newly launched TeamBirth program, Crystal noticed a significant shift in how her care team communicated. The shared decision-making model centered around a planning board and regular “huddles” that included her, her support person and the entire care team. These collaborative discussions helped Crystal feel seen and heard, especially after past experiences with postpartum hemorrhage and postpartum depression left her anxious about giving birth again. “I felt like we were all on the same page. They did a good job at explaining what was happening throughout the entire process,” Crystal said. “My transition to the mother-baby unit once Gunner arrived was also smooth.”“Talking with detail and communicating every step helped decrease her anxiety,” said Shannon Manchesi, the labor and delivery nurse who cared for Crystal. “We want every woman giving birth to feel empowered to participate in decisions made during labor and delivery,” added Tina Gist, M.S.N., R.N., director of nursing, women and children and critical care. With TeamBirth, Crystal felt in control and supported throughout the process, transforming what could have been a stressful experience into one of comfort and trust.<a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.texashealth.org/newsroom/News-Releases/2025/TeamBirth-Helps-Mom-Feel-in-Control">LEARN MORE</a></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/topics/innovation">Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:16:09 -0500 Maternal Health Learning series to focus on obstetric readiness for EMS, EDs in rural areas /news/headline/2025-06-12-learning-series-focus-obstetric-readiness-ems-eds-rural-areas The Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, will host a five-part learning series beginning June 25 on obstetric readiness for emergency medical services and emergency departments in rural and under-resourced communities. The series features specific recommendations for rural EMS and EDs that include telehealth and mobile care unit strategies. &nbsp; Experts in the first session will summarize challenges to obstetric care in rural communities and identify community resources to support pregnant and postpartum patients. Learn more information on the series from AIM’s Learning Series <a href="https://saferbirth.org/aim-resources/communities-of-learning/cols-2022-2023/">webpage</a>, under Obstetric Readiness Summer Sprint 2025.&nbsp; Thu, 12 Jun 2025 14:17:09 -0500 Maternal Health Five hospitals within Louisiana Children’s Health System receive Birth Ready designation /role-hospitals-louisiana-childrens-medical-center-five-hospitals-within-louisiana-childrens-health-system-receive-birth-ready <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-4"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-lcmc-birth-ready-700x532.jpg" alt="Louisiana Children’s Medical Center. A pregant woman sits talking with a female physician" width="700" height="532"></div>Five hospitals within the LCMC Health system — East Jefferson General Hospital, Lakeside Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, Touro and West Jefferson Medical Center — have earned the Louisiana Birth Ready or Birth Ready+ Designation, a recognition awarded by the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC). The designation honors hospitals that have implemented evidence-based practices to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.Launchedin 2021, the Birth Ready program evaluates hospitals across five key areas, including clinical readiness, patient partnership and the implementation of policies to address severe maternal morbidity. “LCMC Health is committed to providing the highest quality and best practice of safe patient care for all our patients,” said Toni Flowers, Ph.D., corporate chief social responsibility officer at LCMC Health. “All five of our birthing hospitals have demonstrated this commitment by obtaining and sustaining Birth Ready and Birth Ready+ designations. We applaud our team’s dedication to achieving improved health outcomes for mothers and infants in our community.”This achievement is part of a broader statewide effort to improve maternal health outcomes. “Birthing hospitals across Louisiana are working diligently to ensure safe and patient-centered care for Louisiana families,” said Veronica Gillispie-Bell, M.D., medical director of the LaPQC.<a class="btn btn-primary" href="https://www.lcmchealth.org/blog/2025/march/lcmc-health-celebrates-five-of-their-hospitals-a/">LEARN MORE</a>&nbsp;</div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:02:33 -0500 Maternal Health SHINE on: How Vanderbilt expanded its integrated care model for opioid-exposed infants /role-hospitals-shine-how-vanderbilt-expanded-its-integrated-care-model-opioid-exposed-infants <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-4"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-06/ths-vumc-shine-700x532.jpg" alt="Vanderbilt University Medical Center Shine logo features three fireflies under a shooting star" width="700" height="532"></div>Vanderbilt University Medical Center is growing its integrated, multidisciplinary care for infants and children who have been exposed to opioids while in utero.In 2021, VUMC began the Firefly Program, in which OB-GYNs, pediatricians and psychiatrists offer a broad range of care, including neurodevelopmental monitoring, to babies from birth to 12 months of age. “Children with intrauterine exposure to opioids may experience differences in how their nervous system develops,” said Neill Broderick, Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. “These differences can manifest in many ways, such as sensory integration differences, emotional and/or behavioral dysregulation and learning differences.”Building off the success of the Firefly Program, VUMC now has a new initiative dedicated to infants and young children exposed to opioids in utero. SHINE (Support and Health for Infants with Neonatal Exposures) uses neurodevelopmental monitoring for the prevention and early detection of developmental delays and differences for children from birth to 6 years old. Using the same integrated approach as the Firefly Program, SHINE brings together general pediatrics; physical, occupational and speech therapy; and the Firefly Program to ensure that patients receive the full scope of care they need. The program also streamlines the care of the mother and the care of the child, improving the chances of success for both.<a href="https://news.vumc.org/2025/04/21/neurodevelopmental-care-initiative-supports-infants-and-young-children-exposed-to-opioids-in-utero/">Read more about the Firefly Program and SHINE</a>.</div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div><h4>Resources on the Role of Hospitals</h4><ul><li><a href="/center/population-health">Improving Health and Wellness</a></li><li><a href="/roleofhospitals">All Case Studies</a></li></ul></div></div></div></div> Mon, 02 Jun 2025 12:36:13 -0500 Maternal Health Designing Maternal Care to Address Disparities /education-events/designing-maternal-care-address-disparities Better Health for Mothers and Babies Webinar Series AHA’s Better Health for Mothers and Babies Initiative’s approach to improving maternal and infant outcomes is guided by four core principles: examine quality and outcomes data to guide strategy; consider the causes of disparities in health outcomes; involve patients and community in their own care; and engage the workforce. This webinar series will showcase stories of how hospitals and health care organizations are putting each principle into action to improve outcomes for moms and their babies.Webinar 2: Designing Maternal Care to Address Disparities Thursday, Sept. 18, 12 – 1 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. CTFor many women, pregnancy is a uniquely personal and meaningful health care experience. Health care organizations should consider how each women accesses maternal care and tailor strategies to meet the clinical and social needs of all pregnant and postpartum women they serve. Hospitals could then achieve better health outcomes for moms and infants.&nbsp;This webinar showcases programs that address upstream factors influencing maternal health outcomes. It will also highlight ways hospitals can engage maternal health champions to design solutions that target patient and community needs, assess impact, and raise awareness to catalyze organizational change.&nbsp; Speakers:<ul><li>Tamika C. Auguste, M.D., FACOG, Physician Executive Director, Women's Health Service Line, MedStar Health; Chair- Women's and Infants' Services, MedStar Washington Hospital Center; Professor, OBGYN Georgetown School of Medicine</li><li>Loral Patchen, PhD, MSN, MA, CNM, Vice Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Executive Director, Teen Alliance for Prepared Parenting Program, MedStar Washington Hospital Center</li><li>Kristen Farney, MSN, R.N., NE-BC, Nurse Manager, Community Health Initiatives, Carle Health</li><li>Ashley Polnitz, MSN, NE-BC, CLC, Nurse Supervisor, Community Health Initiatives, Carle Health</li></ul> Wed, 28 May 2025 10:19:48 -0500 Maternal Health AHA blog: Filling the Gaps in Maternal Mental Health Care /news/headline/2025-05-15-aha-blog-filling-gaps-maternal-mental-health-care Beth Heinz, senior vice president, Women’s and Children’s Services at Yale New Haven Health, and Cheri Johnson, chief nursing officer, Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, La., write about how the integration of pre- and postnatal care provides opportunities to assess and treat behavioral health issues in pregnant and postpartum patients, improving outcomes for moms and babies alike.&nbsp;<a href="/news/blog/2025-05-12-filling-gaps-maternal-mental-health-care" title="maternal blog">READ MORE</a> &nbsp; &nbsp; Thu, 15 May 2025 14:53:23 -0500 Maternal Health Filling the Gaps in Maternal Mental Health Care /news/blog/2025-05-12-filling-gaps-maternal-mental-health-care One of our best strategies to address the unique behavioral health challenges and demands of pregnant women and new mothers is recognizing that mental health is a central element to physical health, meaning we need to continually treat the whole person in our settings to the best of our abilities.Identification and early intervention for maternal mental health not only impacts the mother’s overall welfare but also ensures the healthy development of her child. Early detection is important to prevent or identify pre/postpartum depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. Early identification can impact the baby’s well-being related to secure attachment, low birth weight and long-term health outcomes.Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, La., is the largest single hospital birthing facility in the state, with over 8,000 deliveries annually. Before the pandemic, Woman’s Hospital began offering outpatient mental health services in response to both community and medical staff requests. Louisiana has one of the highest rates of Medicaid coverage for births in the nation, but many patients using Medicaid face significant barriers to accessing mental health care. According to the Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review, mental health was a contributing factor in 20% of pregnancy-related deaths in 2020.As the medical staff at Woman’s Hospital identified patients in crisis, the need for a specialized facility became urgent. Unfortunately, many existing facilities were not equipped to meet the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum women, especially those in their third trimester.To address this gap in care, Woman’s Hospital repurposed space within the hospital and opened Woman’s Perinatal Mental Health Unit in 2024. The 10-bed inpatient unit provides specialized care for women during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. Each patient works with a comprehensive team of psychiatrists, obstetricians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, social workers, psychologists, nurses and recreational therapists.Halfway across the country, at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, Matthew Grossman, M.D., has developed one of the first new treatments for babies born to mothers addicted to opiates. The treatment reduced babies’ withdrawal time by replacing drug therapy with increased contact with their mothers — a simple yet novel approached termed “more love, less drugs.” One of the key highlights Grossman found was that babies who spent more time with their mothers left the hospital after an average of 22 days instead of the average of 29 days for babies who spent less time with their mothers. Early recognition that a baby has been exposed to substances prenatally improves a team’s ability to immediately engage a high-quality care plan for the best results.Our maternal health patients are experiencing important life changes, some of which significantly impact mental health, and they benefit from supportive therapeutic interventions to best support overall wellness. Early identification and treatment remain key in quality of care and outcomes. Taking the time to truly connect with patients when they present with behavioral health or substance use disorders provides a safe environment to help patients receive the help they need to become the mothers they have always wanted to become. Mon, 12 May 2025 13:58:49 -0500 Maternal Health Postpartum Mental Health: Breaking Stigma with Women & Infants Hospital /advancing-health-podcast/2025-05-07-postpartum-mental-health-breaking-stigma-women-infants-hospital May 7 is World Maternal Mental Health Day. In this conversation, Women &amp; Infants Hospital's Shannon Sullivan, president and chief operating officer, and Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D., director of behavioral medicine research, discuss the stigma surrounding maternal mental health, the challenges new mothers face, and the innovative programs that are having success in maternal well-being and postpartum&nbsp;depression prevention.<hr><div> &nbsp;</div><div class="raw-html-embed"><details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> View Transcript </h2> </summary> 00:00:00:29 - 00:00:23:14 Tom Haederle Welcome to Advancing Health. The perinatal period is a delicate time for a new mom's mental health. In fact, 1 in 4 moms experiences perinatal depression and anxiety. Coming up, a look into how a leading specialty hospital for women and newborns developed a program that helps prevent perinatal depression. 00:00:23:16 - 00:00:44:29 Julia Resnick Hi everyone. I'm Julia Resnick, director of strategic initiatives at the �� Association. I am so pleased to be here today to talk with all of you about perinatal depression. I'm joined by two experts from Women &amp; Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. We have Shannon Sullivan, who is the president and chief operating officer, joined by Dr. Caron Zlotnick, who's the director of behavioral medicine research. 00:00:45:01 - 00:00:49:04 Julia Resnick Shannon, Dr. Zlotnick, so happy to be here with you all today. 00:00:49:06 - 00:00:50:04 Shannon Sullivan Thank you. Julia. 00:00:50:05 - 00:00:51:12 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. Thank you for having us. 00:00:51:16 - 00:01:02:02 Julia Resnick So let's dive right in. Shannon, I want to start with you. Can you start with some background on your hospital and your community? 00:01:02:04 - 00:01:37:21 Shannon Sullivan Sure. Absolutely. So Women &amp; Infants is one of the largest freestanding women's health hospitals in the country, exclusively dedicated to serving women and their families. We do about 8,700 deliveries annually. We have an 82 single bed level, 3 to 4 NICU with about 1,100 discharges annually. We have a comprehend of women's medicine program that includes an inpatient unit, GI, OB medicine, endocrinology, basically anything that cares for women during the course of their lifetime. 00:01:37:24 - 00:01:58:23 Shannon Sullivan We are also the only OB hospital in the region that is an obstetrical tertiary care hospital. Plus, we have one of the largest NICUs in New England and actually on the East coast. So we care only for women here, only for women and their infants. And we feel really strongly about their care being really high quality. 00:01:58:25 - 00:02:16:09 Julia Resnick That's amazing. And I love that whole life cycle from when they're young until when they're much older. And for this podcast, we're really focusing on your hospital's pregnancy and postpartum care. So how are you thinking about that whole continuum and making sure that that care extends to women after they give birth? 00:02:16:11 - 00:02:40:10 Shannon Sullivan You know, I think it's important to note that even though I'm the president and chief operating officer now, my background is I'm a perinatal social worker. I've a master's in social work and I practiced in this setting for about ten years before I got into leadership. And so I can tell you, we're particularly dedicated to the pregnant and postpartum care, especially the mental health needs of women across the state. 00:02:40:13 - 00:03:12:03 Shannon Sullivan And so, you know, currently, when you look at morbidity and mortality across the United States in the pregnancy and postpartum period, suicide and overdose are climbing higher in that list, and mark two of the top ten reasons that women get sick and die during their pregnancy or one year postpartum. It's a particularly delicate time for women and their families, and that's underscored not just by the data and the research but a lot of the anecdotal stories that you'll hear, you know, across news outlets. 00:03:12:03 - 00:03:38:12 Shannon Sullivan And so it's incredibly important for us, being that we are a women's hospital, being the types of patients that we care for, that like I said, come from a wide variety of backgrounds. And given what we know about women in their pregnancy and postpartum period and what's happening nationally. And so there are not ever enough resources to care for women during this particularly delicate time during their life. 00:03:38:14 - 00:03:47:26 Shannon Sullivan And so we've really spent a lot of time in the last 25 years investing both in the research and in the care of women. 00:03:47:28 - 00:04:04:27 Julia Resnick I think what your hospital is doing is so important because it connects the research in this space with the care. So, Dr. Slotnick, you're an expert in this space. What were you seeing that helped, you know, it was so important for your hospital to do more around postpartum depression care? 00:04:04:29 - 00:04:34:22 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. Well, my expertise and focus is preventing postpartum depression. When I first started at Women &amp; Infants Hospital, which was, many, many moons ago, you know, Women &amp; Infants has a large ObGyn clinic. The majority of their perinatal patients are on Medicaid. And this is a very high risk group of women who are at risk for postpartum depression. 00:04:34:24 - 00:05:01:08 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. When I started at Women &amp; Infants Hospital as a clinical psychologist, I treated many of these perinatal patients with mental health issues. So I heard firsthand the struggles of these patients with mental health issues. You know, we know society &nbsp;- you could even look on Facebook - tells us that having a baby is the happiest time of your life. 00:05:01:10 - 00:05:20:00 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. And, these patients really experienced a lot of stigma and shame around their mental health issues. You know, that got me thinking that, you know, screening and treatment is very important but prevention is better and more cost effective. 00:05:20:06 - 00:05:23:11 Julia Resnick So talk to me more about that. What does prevention look like? 00:05:23:13 - 00:05:52:27 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. Well, there's no proven or consistent way to predict who might be at risk for postpartum depression. You know, it's probably more cost effective to offer a prevention intervention like program to prevent postpartum depression to every pregnant woman rather than guess who may benefit from the program. So, the Rose program: Reach out, stay strong, 00:05:52:29 - 00:06:21:29 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. essential for mothers with infants. So the overall aim of ROSE is to reduce suffering and increase joy for as many new mothers with an infant as possible during a time when which can be very stressful and lonely. The Rose program is administered during pregnancy, usually in small groups consisting of four sessions during pregnancy and a postpartum check-in post delivery. 00:06:22:01 - 00:06:54:22 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. The ROSE program tries to focus on those risk factors that fall postpartum depression that are amenable to change. So the session topics focus on improving relationships and support system, effective strategies to communicate, like how to say no, how to ask for help. Very important in the postpartum period. Self-care strategies, ensuring that new moms have me time, that they don't get depleted. And goal setting. 00:06:54:25 - 00:07:27:17 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. We also provide information on different types of stresses that can occur in the postpartum periods, you know, such as baby blues and what is involved with postpartum depression and how to identify it, we try to destigmatize it. It is a common struggle for many postpartum women. You know, 1 in 7 experience full-blown postpartum depression. We tell them how and where to reach out for help. 00:07:27:19 - 00:07:53:28 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. To accompany our sessions, we have a patient workbook, which is available in English and Spanish. We did a very large implementation study in which we had 98 sites across the country, delivering Rose. So some sites delivered Rose virtually, others in person. Now, what is important with delivering Rose is that you don't need mental health expertise. 00:07:54:00 - 00:08:27:17 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. So we had the full spectrum of people delivering Rose: clinic nurses, doulas, medical assistance navigators, community health workers, and actually mental health providers. And the training for those who want to deliver Rose is relatively an easy process. The ROSE website, which is hosted by Women &amp; Infants, has all the training intervention materials. The training videos, as I mentioned before, the patient workbook. 00:08:27:19 - 00:08:38:08 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. And Rose itself is highly scripted. So there's a scripted manual there. We have slides for virtual delivery and all free of cost. 00:08:38:11 - 00:09:01:27 Julia Resnick That's amazing. And I think just having this publicly available is so hugely important. And also there are so many communities that don't have enough mental health providers that it's really powerful that you can be a lay provider or just a medical provider. I want to pivot slightly. I know that your hospital is doing work in perinatal depression and supporting postpartum women in their families beyond the Rose program. 00:09:01:29 - 00:09:05:20 Julia Resnick Shannon, can you talk a little bit about what else is going on? 00:09:05:22 - 00:09:44:01 Shannon Sullivan One of our more proud moments is how dedicated this organization has been to the totality of care of women. Not just their medical care, their psychological care, their socioeconomic care, their social determinants care. And really making sure that they support the whole woman in their family, for many decades now. And that is mostly our premier program, the one that, you know, Dr. Zlotnickwas just talking about, that she had started in is our day hospital program and our partial hospitalization program, which opened 25 years ago. 00:09:44:02 - 00:10:14:09 Shannon Sullivan It was revolutionary at the time. I would argue it's still revolutionary today. It was a program for assessment and then care of pregnant and postpartum women with perinatal and postpartum depression. And what was so revolutionary about it is it was a program that allowed women to get that intensive outpatient care. So coming every day, but with their baby. Oftentimes you would find women were separated during treatment from their children. 00:10:14:09 - 00:10:42:01 Shannon Sullivan And then, you know, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers couldn't really assess bonding. They couldn't really assess how women were doing and caring for their infants as well, as it didn't allow women more time to be able to bond under the professional treatment that they received. So that was opened late 90s, early 2000s and still remains actually one of the only in the country and cares for a wide variety of women, really across the region. 00:10:42:03 - 00:11:04:09 Shannon Sullivan And since that time, more recently, we've increased the amount of women and the types of care that we're providing. So it's no longer, you know, postpartum and perinatal anxiety and depression. We also have an OCD track. We found there's a higher prevalence, especially for women who've previously experienced obsessive compulsive disorder in the postpartum period. That can be a really difficult time. 00:11:04:11 - 00:11:28:13 Shannon Sullivan So we've opened an OCD track to the partial hospitalization program, and most recently, within the last six months, we've reopened a substance use track so that we can, you know, try to work together. We work together with a Suboxone program. We have family medicine who's been coming in and helping us to care for not only the patients, but also the babies that are in that program with their mothers. 00:11:28:13 - 00:11:47:18 Shannon Sullivan And so we're really trying to diversify the types of patients that we're caring for in that program, all along the lines of treating mothers while keeping them together with their children. It's really been well received within the community. We can't keep up with the volume as you can imagine, and so we're continuing to find ways to grow it over time. 00:11:47:21 - 00:12:14:09 Shannon Sullivan Two other ways that we're really looking is Dr. Emily Miller, who's the division director of maternal fetal medicine here, has an RO1 grant for the Compass Plus program, which embeds social workers and case managers within obstetrical practices for that assessment, grief intervention and then referral. And then our newest program that we're most proud of that hasn't started yet is our mobile van program. 00:12:14:10 - 00:12:40:16 Shannon Sullivan CVS Health recently gave us a grant to purchase a mobile van, and in that mobile van, we'll have a nurse practitioner and community health workers. What we know about our particular community is especially the patients that Dr. Zlotnick was talking about, our high Medicaid clinic onsite. It's hard for patients to get back. You know, you're asking them to deliver a baby and then they might not have reliable transportation, they might not have reliable child care. 00:12:40:22 - 00:13:12:18 Shannon Sullivan And, you know, I will tell you, as the mother of three who had reliable transportation, who had reliable child care, getting out of the house with my children during that postpartum period was really challenging, especially to take care of myself. And so the postpartum van is going to be able to go out and really provide that care in communities to patients in their home and in the van, and be able to identify and then refer either to Rose or to Compass Plus or to the day hospital program when they're meeting with patients in their own community and really seeing what's happening in their home. 00:13:12:20 - 00:13:30:18 Julia Resnick That's really amazing and impressive work. And please keep us posted on all of these new programs. It sounds like they'll be incredibly impactful. To wrap things up, I just want to pick your brains about what you've learned while implementing these programs, because I'm sure we have people listening who are thinking, how do I do this in my community and in my setting? 00:13:30:25 - 00:13:38:11 Julia Resnick So what do you think those key takeaways are - that others could learn from your experiences to set up their own programs? 00:13:38:13 - 00:14:02:24 Shannon Sullivan I think execution is always a problem and a lot of that has to do with, you know, these are complex clinics, these are complex patients. And everything, of course, requires resources. And all of those things make it more complicated. I would say that one size does not fit all for everyone. We've seen many people fail trying to implement a postpartum day hospital program. 00:14:02:24 - 00:14:30:19 Shannon Sullivan We've seen many people with the best intentions. And so you have to partner with a wide, wide variety of people to get any of these programs off the ground. Your payer contracting teams, your operational needs, your clinical needs, your patient liaisons, your community health workers. And so it really does require a multidisciplinary approach to execution and probably much longer than any of us ever 00:14:30:19 - 00:14:42:21 Shannon Sullivan like when it comes down to that. But I would say if you get the right multi-disciplinary team, embedded in doing your work, you can do it, but you certainly can't do it alone. 00:14:42:24 - 00:14:44:15 Julia Resnick Anything to add, Caron? 00:14:44:17 - 00:15:16:00 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. I can say the organization has to have the capacity to implement a program like Rose. What I would also like to say is that in recruiting potential sites, it was very heartwarming to hear from administrators, directors of programs really expressing a deep passion about improving maternal mental health. You know, in our study we realized that it makes a difference if you have a cheerleader. 00:15:16:02 - 00:15:48:24 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. Best if leadership is the cheerleader but even those who are delivering Rose. And I just want to mention that on our website at Women &amp; Infants Hospital, we actually have an implementation plan for agencies and hospitals that are thinking about implementing the Rose program. That really helps these sites to think through what it is that they need to do to successfully implement Rose or actually any program similar to Rose. 00:15:48:27 - 00:16:15:03 Julia Resnick Fantastic. So I think three key themes that I heard was that you need passion, you need partnerships and you need patients. Shannon, Dr. Zlotnick, thank you so much for sharing this fantastic work that you're doing. To our listeners, you should check out the Rose program website on the Women Infants Hospital website. Thank you all for listening. And thank you again to Shannon and Dr. Zlotnick for your passion for this issue and for sharing your expertise with our listeners. 00:16:15:05 - 00:16:15:18 Shannon Sullivan Thanks so much. 00:16:16:09 - 00:16:19:07 Caron Zlotnick, Ph.D. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. 00:16:19:09 - 00:16:27:20 Tom Haederle Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. </details></div> Wed, 07 May 2025 08:28:41 -0500 Maternal Health Rep. Robin Kelly speaks on Medicaid, maternal health /news/headline/2025-05-05-rep-robin-kelly-speaks-medicaid-maternal-health Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., member of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and the bipartisan Maternal Health Caucus, spoke to AHA Annual Meeting attendees May 5 about the threats posed to the Medicaid program, particularly how major cuts under consideration in Congress would threaten access to vital care, including maternal health services.As the House Energy and Commerce committee prepares to vote as early as next week on its part of the House budget reconciliation bill that calls for major cuts to Medicaid, Kelly urged attendees not to give up hope. “This is no time to stay on the sidelines,” she said. “Your voices must be heard … and together we will keep marching forward to a healthier America.” Mon, 05 May 2025 16:44:30 -0500 Maternal Health Transforming Data into Action to Improve Maternal Health /education-events/transforming-data-action-improve-maternal-health Better Health for Mothers and Babies Webinar Series AHA’s Better Health for Mothers and Babies Initiative’s approach to improving maternal and infant outcomes is guided by four core principles: examine quality and outcomes data to guide strategy; consider the causes of disparities in health outcomes; involve patients and community in their own care; and engage the workforce. This webinar series will showcase stories of how hospitals and health care organizations are putting each principle into action to improve outcomes for moms and their babies.Webinar 1: Transforming Data into Action to Improve Maternal Health Thursday, August 21, 12 – 1 p.m. ET | 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. CTHaving actionable data is key for hospitals to improve their maternal care. By helping you better understand your patients and enabling you to track care quality and outcomes, these insights can guide your maternal health improvement strategy.The first webinar from the Better Health Mothers and Babies webinar series explores how hospitals and health systems can use data insights to take action to create safer birthing and postpartum experiences. Speakers will discuss best practices on collecting, evaluating, and transforming data into actionable strategies and how hospitals and health systems can implement data-driven quality and performance improvement strategies to positively impact maternal health outcomes.Speakers:<ul><li>Katherine Glaser, M.D., MPH, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation</li><li>Vicki Buchda, MS, R.N., NEA-BC, SVP of Care Improvement, Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association</li><li>Lauren Russell, MSN-Ed, RNC-OB, IBCLC, Director of Women’s Services, Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Antepartum, NICU, Regional One Health</li></ul> Mon, 05 May 2025 14:46:00 -0500 Maternal Health