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Program Model: ,

Date and Duration: October 2026 – April 2027

Perinatal Risk & Readiness Community of Learning

Purpose

Early identification of factors that may affect maternal and infant health, combined with coordinated, multidisciplinary care, is essential to improving outcomes. The Perinatal Risk & Readiness Community of Learning supports labor and delivery teams in strengthening screening, risk assessment, and response for commercial nicotine use, substance use, intimate partner violence, and perinatal mental health. Through shared learning and quality improvement, teams will strengthen care processes, improve referral pathways, and build lasting partnerships with community organizations to better support families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

AIM Statement: By June 2027, participating labor and delivery teams will increase screening, referral, and follow-up rates to 80% for all delivery hospitalizations. Screening will include risk assessments for commercial nicotine use, substance use, intimate partner violence, and mental health.

Perinatal Risk & Readiness COL Charter

Session Dates & Enrollment

In-Person Kickoff Meeting

  • October 26, 2026 at 4-7 PM | Minneapolis Marriott West

Virtual Action Period Calls (APC)

  • November 19, 2026 at 12 PM
  • December 10, 2026 at 12 PM
  • January 7, 2027 at 12 PM
  • February 4, 2027 at 12 PM

In-Person Final Action Period

  • April 8, 2027 | More details coming soon

Interested in Joining? 

Email the QI team at QI@minnesotaperinatal.org to enroll in the program.

Program Goals & Objectives

Program Goals

1. Strengthen processes for standardized screening and risk assessment related to perinatal mental health, substance use, intimate partner violence, and tobacco use during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

2. Improve the timeliness of referrals, follow-up, and care coordination through enhanced partnerships between healthcare organizations and community-based resources.

3. Promote respectful, patient-centered care by supporting multidisciplinary collaboration and addressing social and behavioral health factors that influence maternal outcomes.

4. Build organizational capacity for sustainable quality improvement through peer learning, systems change, and implementation of evidence-based practices.

Program Objectives

1. Participating sites will implement a standardized protocol for administering risk assessments for substance use, mental health conditions, nicotine use, and intimate partner violence at the time of delivery hospitalization

2. Participating sites will develop an updated list of community-based organizations available for referrals for each identified topic

How Success Is Tracked

A family of measures is a set of related metrics used in Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives to assess the overall impact, outcomes, and processes of a project. These measures provide a comprehensive picture of the initiative’s effectiveness and guide decision-making. A family of measures typically includes three types of metrics:

Outcome Measures

Definition: Metrics that reflect the ultimate goals or results of the initiative, focusing on the impact on patients, populations, or systems.
Purpose: To evaluate whether the initiative achieved its desired results.

Process Measures

Definition: Metrics that assess whether specific actions or interventions were implemented as intended. These focus on the steps or processes involved in achieving the outcome.
Purpose: To monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the processes driving the outcomes.

Structural Measures

Definition: Metrics that assess the foundational capacities, infrastructure, resources, and organizational supports that enable high-quality care. These measures evaluate whether the systems, tools, and structures necessary for effective processes are in place.
Purpose: To determine whether teams have the essential infrastructure needed to reliably carry out processes and achieve desired outcomes. Structural measures help identify gaps in readiness, capacity, or resources that may hinder implementation or improvement.

Balancing Measures

Definition: Metrics that ensure improvements in one area do not negatively affect other areas. They check for unintended consequences or trade-offs.
Purpose: To ensure that changes made to improve one outcome do not create new problems elsewhere.

Toolkit

Our toolkits provide targeted resources specific to each QI program, offering essential materials to support healthcare teams in achieving improvement goals. Coming soon.

Participating Birthing Facilities

Astera Health Care
Essentia Health St. Mary’s Regional Health Center – Detroit Lakes
Glencoe Regional Health
Lakewood Health
Minnesota Birth Center
Northfield Hospital & Clinic
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center

Participating Faculty

Adrienne Richardson, MD
Jane Taylor, MBA, MHA, Ed. D.
Marlys Weyandt, MHA, CD (DONA)
Tolu Odebunmi, MD, MPH
Lynette M. Renner, PhD, MSW, LICSW
Funding Acknowledgement

This program was supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $310,025.00 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.