How can systems of care be advocates for women, instead of women having to advocate for themselves?

MMRT Recommendation Implementation Environmental Scan

At the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC) we work closely with the Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team (MMRT) to implement recommendations for maternal health in the commonwealth. We are seeking to better understand what other organizations are using MMRT recommendations, and how those recommendations are being implemented. This will hopefully open up new opportunities for collaboration, and help us better understand what work is being done in Virginia.

View the Virginia Maternal Mortality Review Team Annual Report here. The most recent report was published February, 2024. Recommendations start on page 24.

All answers will be kept confidential, and we are only asking for emails to be able to return analysis when it is completed. By completing this survey, you are agreeing to share this information with the VNPC and its stakeholders. Thank you for your participation.

Turn the Page Birth Stories Project

VNPC has partnered with StoryCollab to create this initiative and offer a series of digital storytelling workshops for both birthing persons and maternal healthcare providers to provide a supportive space where each respective group can gather to reflect, share their stories, and learn from each other. Focusing on moments of personal insight, digital storytelling workshops contribute to a sense of community and provide nuanced stories of lived experience. No prior storytelling or video editing experience is needed.

Dates & Details

  • Birthing Person Workshop (in person)

    February 7-9, 2025 (Petersburg, Virginia)

  • Birthing Person Workshop (virtual)

    Mid-February — March 2025

Eliminating Bias in Dyad Care

Overview

Eliminating Bias in the Dyad Care (EBDC) is an implementation science initiative that will focus on improving outcomes for our pregnant and parenting families and infants impacted by substance use disorder. This project will focus on the dyad, both mom and baby, recognizing the unique needs for both mom, baby and the dyad. The EBDC project will provide strategies and activities that incorporate (1) education, (2) care coordination, (3) communication, (4) data and (5) screening.

Currently, 5 pilot hospitals are implementing this QI project to learn and ensure that the best version of the project is developed and implemented for our communities across the Commonwealth. Once the pilot phase is complete, the EBDC project will be open to any hospital that would like to join. Those interested should attend the January 21 info session. All of this work will be rooted in a respectful care and eliminating bias framework, to ensure when working with our pregnant and parenting families experiencing substance use disorder they receive optimal care to improve outcomes among this population.

EBDC Objectives

  • Improve the care for birthing persons experiencing substance use

  • Improve the care of newborns exposed to substances prior to birth

  • Eliminate bias & stigma associated with perinatal substance use & exposure

Project EMBRACE

Project EMBRACE (Equitable care for Mothers and Babies through Readiness, Access, and Community Expansion) is a data-driven quality improvement project that works with birthing facilities throughout the state of Virginia to address the topic of Perinatal Mental Health. VNPC supports birthing facilities participating in EMBRACE to develop and implement programming based on the needs of their facilities and populations. VNPC recognizes that Virginia has distinct and unique regions with varying qualities and we encourage participating facilities to “tune in” to what is needed most in their area.

SMILE Overview

EMBRACE is the overarching name of the overarching quality improvement project, and the specific focus on Perinatal Mental Health conditions is entitled S.M.I.L.E., which stands for Supporting Maternal mental health through Initiatives, Learning and Engagement. SMILE is a quality improvement project aimed at supporting birthing facilities in implementing the AIM Patient Safety Bundle “Perinatal Mental Health Conditions.” This bundle focuses on 5 categories: Readiness, Recovery, Reporting and Systems Learning, and Respectful, Equitable, and Supportive Care Perinatal Mental Health Conditions.

SMILE participant expectations

Birthing facility participant expectations include: 1) create a multidisciplinary team within facility, 2) submit monthly and quarterly data, 3) have a representative attend a monthly meeting. The VNPC offers technical support in the form of monthly meetings, 1:1 support, and more.

How to participate in SMILE

Recruitment for the next cohort is currently underway until October 2024. Cohort “Bravo” is made up of the hospitals that are currently involved in the quality improvement project. This cohort will serve as the community of learning. If you are a nurse manager, nurse navigator, quality improvement manager or a member of hospital leadership at a birth facility, email brittany.watson@vcuhealth.org to learn more about how to participate in SMILE.

CDC Levels of Care Assessment Tool (LOCATe)

The Virginia Neonatal and Perinatal Collaborative (VNPC) and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Foundation (VHHAF), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are conducting a survey of birthing hospitals to better understand the healthcare services available to birthing people and infants in Virginia. This “Levels of Care Assessment Tool” (LOCATe) was developed by the CDC using the most recent guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM).

LOCATe is a tool that facilities can use to identify gaps in risk appropriate care systems, assess personnel and equipment, and develop and implement quality improvement initiatives relative to the needs of local communities. The information gleaned from LOCATe will also inform us about Virginia’s capacity to provide perinatal care, particularly among high-risk populations. Once completed, assessments will be shared with the CDC, who will give objective and standardized determinations on facility capacity to provide high risk perinatal care back to VNPC for use in improving the quality of care. Each hospital will receive an individual report. There will be no public reporting of identified information by VNPC, VHHAF, the CDC, or any other entity. Any reporting by the CDC will be in aggregate and will not identify any individual facilities.

Why is This Information Useful?

Though the results of the LOCATe tool are not official designations, facilities can use these results to identify gaps in risk appropriate care systems, assess personnel and equipment, and develop and implement quality improvement initiatives relative to the needs of local communities.

Questions? Contact Mary Brandenburg at mbrandenburg@vhha.com.

What Information is Collected?

  • Hospital equipment and staffing

  • Sub-specialists and their availability
  • Self-assessment of level
  • Volume of procedures
  • Drills and protocols for maternal emergencies
  • Transports and facility-level statistics

The first wave of surveys launched in late 2022, and 16 facilities participated. The second wave of surveys closed on May 15, 2023 and we had an additional 18 hospitals participate. We are now working to reach a 100% assessment rate for all birthing hospitals in Virginia.

ROUND 1 HOSPITAL PARTICIPATION

  • Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital

  • Carilion New River Valley Hospital

  • Winchester
  • Mary Washington
  • INOVA-Fair Oaks
  • INOVA-Fairfax
  • INOVA-Alexandria
  • INOVA-Loudoun

  • University of Virginia

  • Augusta Health

  • Virginia Commonwealth University Community Memorial

  • Bon Secours-St. Francis
  • Bon Secours-Memorial Regional
  • Bon Secours-South Side
  • Bon Secours-Mary Immaculate
  • Bon Secours-St. Mary’s
ROUND 2 HOSPITAL PARTICIPATION
  • Riverside Regional Medical Center
  • Sentara Obici Hopsital
  • Sentara CarePlex Hospital
  • Sentara Princess Anne Hospital
  • Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
  • Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center
  • Sentara Martha Jefferson
  • Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center
  • Sentara Rockingham Memorial Hospital (RMH)
  • Sentara Leigh Hospital
  • The Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
  • VCU Medical Center
  • Virginia Baptist Hospital
  • Virginia Hospital Center Health
  • UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center
  • Henrico Doctors’ Hospital
  • Wythe County Community Hospital
  • Stafford Hospital
ROUND 3 HOSPITAL PARTICIPATION
  • Centra Southside Community Hospital-Farmville
  • Chesapeake Regional Medical Center-Chesapeake
  • UVA Community Health-Prince William Medical Center-Manassas
  • Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital-Onancock

VNPC Emerging Leaders Volunteer Program

Overview

The VNPC is launching an emerging leaders pilot program beginning Fall 2024. The VNPC is focused on quality improvement initiatives with a focus on improving perinatal and infant health outcomes from pregnancy to delivery through the postpartum year. The program is looking for full-time students in good academic standing with an interest in current issues focusing on perinatal and/or infant health.

2024 Timelines

Application Open  March 18 
Application Due  June 30
Application Decision Notification  Mid-July 
Program Begins Late August

Requirements

  • One academic year commitment (may be extended for up to 4 years)

  • Completion of a group project in areas of relevance to the VNPC and the perinatal and/or infant health community

  • Applicant must have a declared major or decided interest in the area of perinatal and/or infant health. Desired majors or interests include but are not limited to: public health (maternal and infant focus), nursing (pediatric, family medicine, women’s health, neonatal, public health), clinical social work, medical (pediatric, family medicine, women’s health, maternal-fetal, neonatal, public health), doula, lactation consultant (IBCLC, CLC), certified professional midwife, nurse practitioner (women’s health, nurse midwife, neonatal).

  • Biweekly virtual meetings with leadership for first 6 months (can be more frequent depending on group project’s needs)

  • Presentation of group project either in-person at VNPC Summit in October or by poster presentation.

This is a volunteer initiative offering volunteers an opportunity to work with a state quality improvement collaborative. Through this experience, volunteers will be collaborating and networking with professionals with shared interest across the Commonwealth to fulfill federal grant deliverables, create poster presentations and gain insight into Virginia’s legislative process. There will be no monetary or academic compensation for time commitments.

Applications for the 2024-2025 Emerging Leaders pilot program are now closed.

VNPC Community Fund

Overview

The VNPC Community Fund is intended to support local work that will help to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Virginia communities. This request is for a one-time amount of up to $2,500 to be expended within 6 months of receipt. The funds must be used to improve maternal and/or infant health in the specified community. Priority is given to programs or projects that will be sustainable after these funds are spent.  

Required: Impact statement due at the end of the program period or 6 months following disbursal of funds. 

Encouraged: Program story or update at 12 months or 6 months following the end of the program period. 

We will provide a template to be completed for the impact statement and program story. 

2024 Timelines

Application Open  April 10 
Application Due  April 30 
Award Notification  May 15 
Funds Disbursed  May 30 
Program Period  May 30 – Sept 16 
Impact Report Template Sent         Sept 10 
Impact Report/Spending Due  Oct 1 
Program Story Prompt Sent  May 15, 2025 
Program Story/Update Due  June 16, 2025