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Mayor Bowser's Maternal & Infant Health Initiative

Mayor Bowser's Maternal & Infant Health Initiative
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Mayor Bowser's Maternal & Infant Health Initiative
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About the Summit

The 4th Annual Maternal & Infant Health Summit built on the growing public awareness and interest of this important issue and the District’s continued approach to ensure the health of women, infants, and families. The 2021 Summit addressed the changes that have taken place in DC in support of birthing people, families, and babies, as well as District residents at large, the importance of inclusivity in health, and resources that support the wellness of new moms and infants.

 

Welcome and Context Setting

The Honorable Muriel Bowser

Mayor, Washington DC

Dr. Faith Gibson Hubbard

Executive Director, Thrive by Five DC; Mayor's Office of Community Affairs

Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt

Director, DC Health

Panel 1 Speakers – Maternal & Infant Health: Where We’ve Come From and Where We’re Going

The Honorable Muriel Bowser

Mayor, Washington DC

Stacey Brayboy (Moderator)

Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, March of Dimes

Robyn R Jones, MD, FACOG

Senior Medical Director, Johnson & Johnson

Lola Okito, MD

Attending Physician, Division of Neonatology at Children’s National

Angelina Spicer

Comedian, Actress, and Activist

Panel 2 Speakers – How Reproductive and Birth Justice Can Guide Quality Care

Jennifer Porter (Moderator)

Director of Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives

Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG

President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health

Noelene Jeffers, PhD, CNM, IBCLC

Co-chair of The National Association to Advance Black Birth

Ebony Marcelle, CNM, MS FACNM

Director of Midwifery at Community of Hope

Virtual - Session A: Delivering Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care: A Multi-Disciplinary Discussion

Dr. Angela Thomas

Vice President, Healthcare Delivery Research

Dr. Tamika Auguste

Chairwoman of Women’s and Infants, MedStar Washington Hospital Center

Dr. Loral Patchen

Medical Director of MedStar OBGYN Center

Libertad Montoya, MSN-Ed, BSN, RN

Registered Nurse at Medstar Washington Hospital Center

Virtual - Session B: Family Building Options for the LGBTQ+ Community CCRM Fertility

Dr. Carter Owen

Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Specialist

Virtual - Session A: Supporting Breastfeeding in the Capital—The Roles of Identity, Norms, Systemic Racism, and Resistance

Dr. Sahira Long

Medical Director, Children’s National Anacostia

Dr. Aubrey Villalobos

Health Scientist, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute

Virtual - Session B: Making Safe Sleep Accessible and Inclusive

Barb Himes,

Director of Education and Bereavement Services, First Candle

Jacqueline Corbin-Armstrong

Fatality Review Specialist, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Virtual - Session A: More Than Safe Sleep: Children's National Hospital Primary Care Infant Mortality Risk Identification

Dr. Katrina Hammond-Jack

Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow

Dr. ElShadey Bekele

Pediatrician, Children’s National Hospital

Alison Page

Social Work Team Lead, Children’s National Hospital

Dr. Sahira Long

Medical Director, Children’s National Anacostia

Virtual - Session B: Before pregnancy, during, and beyond: The Role of Continuous Reproductive Health Care

Annie Toro

President and Executive Director, The What to Expect Project

Virtual - Session A: Improving Maternal and Infant Health through the DC Perinatal Quality Collaborative

Gayle Olano Hurt

Assistant Vice President of Patient Safety & Quality Operations, DC Hospital Association

Yolette A. Gray, MPH, CHES, EMC, PM-LPC, SSGBC

Senior Manager Public Policy & Community Engagement at District of Columbia Hospital Association

Dr. Melissa Fries

Clinical Director, DC Perinatal Quality Collaborative

Virtual - Session B: Which Comes First? Why Is It So Hard for Housing and Health Care to Work Together During Pregnancy?

Abayea Pelt

Director, Maternal and Child Health Program

Jamilah Muhayman

Perinatal Care Coordination Specialist

Sara Cartmill

Senior Director, Housing Programs

Dr. C. Anneta Arno

Director, Office of Health Equity, DC Health

Virtual - Session A: We Aim to Rectify: Self- Advocacy as a Solution to Maternal Health Crises

Raven Freeborn

Senior Policy & Advocacy Manager Mamatoto Village

Virtual - Session B: Infant and Maternal Wellness

Ebony Tuzon

Infant and Maternal Wellness Manager

Alexandria Miller

Child & Family Trauma Support Therapist

Summit Agenda

2:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Welcome & Context Setting

Mayor Bowser will kickoff the Summit with remarks and her own reflections on past Summits and the Maternal & Infant Health Initiative. She will speak to the work happening in the District around maternal and infant health.

Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of DC Health, will speak to investments and innovation happening in the District around maternal and infant health.

Dr. Faith Gibson Hubbard, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, will welcome Summit attendees by offering reflections from last year’s Summit and provide a summary of investments made in the perinatal health space throughout the Bowser Administration.

Speakers: Mayor Muriel Bowser, Dr. Faith Gibson Hubbard and Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt.

Watch live on the following platforms:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BTlTZeeYyhQ
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

 

2:15 pm - 3:15 pm

Panel 1:

Maternal & Infant Health: Where We’ve Come From and Where We’re Going

This panel will open this year’s Summit. Leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sector will discuss the importance of cross-sector partnerships in improving maternal health outcomes in the District. Speakers will highlight plans, priorities, and commitments on the horizon that will guide their work in the District.

Speakers:

The Honorable Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington DC
Moderator: Stacey Brayboy, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, March of Dimes
Angelina Spicer, Comedian, Actress, and Activist
Dr. Robyn Jones, Senior Medical Director, Women’s Health, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Johnson & Johnson
Dr. Lola Okito, Attending Physician, Children’s National Division of Neonatology at Children’s National

 

Watch live on the following platforms:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BTlTZeeYyhQ
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

3:15 pm - 3:30 pm

Transition time

Washington, DC Health Innovation QuickFire Challenge – Announcement of Awardees

Johnson & Johnson Innovation together with Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), working with the Washington DC Economic Partnership, has launched the Washington, DC Health Innovation QuickFire Challenge designed with the aim to help address the chronic healthcare and morbidity challenges similar to those faced in underserved communities within the District of Columbia, and develop ways to help achieve health equity. The DMPED to introduce the JLabs Quickfire Challenge and awardees as we transition between panels.

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Panel 2:

How Reproductive and Birth Justice Can Guide Quality Care

DC Health released their perinatal health framework back in 2018, outlining seven priorities to eliminate preventable maternal and infant death and improve birth outcomes, but we know there’s more to do for District parents. Reproductive and birth justice are inclusive frameworks for community-centered maternity care, programs, and policy. These frameworks can drive systems-level change and make the individual-level impact we seek for all parents. Speakers will discuss how care providers and health systems can achieve high-quality, respectful care and services to benefit birthing people and non-birthing parents.

Speakers:

Moderator: Jennifer Porter, Director at Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives
Jamila Perritt, MD, MPH, FACOG, President and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health
Noelene Jeffers, PhD, CNM, IBCLC, Co-chair of The National Association to Advance Black Birth
Ebony Marcelle, CNM, MS FACNM, Director of Midwifery at Community of Hope

Watch live on the following platforms:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BTlTZeeYyhQ
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

 

4:30 pm - 4:45 pm

Day 1 Summary/Preview of Thursday’s Virtual Sessions

4:45 pm - 5:00 pm

Transition time

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Community Spaces

Given the desire for connectivity in years past (and stay at home orders being in place during last year’s event), this year we are working to create spaces for those with common identities and experiences in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs offices and community-based organizations. We will have affinity spaces for those identifying with any of the following groups: those who’ve experienced perinatal loss, LGBTQ+, teen/young parents, families with disabilities, fathers, and grandparents and older caregivers.

Partner Offices & Organizations: Perinatal Loss: PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy; LGBTQ+: Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs; Teen & Young Parents: DC NEXT! (DC Primary Care Association); Families with Disabilities: We, the Motherhood; Fathers: Mayor’s Office on Fathers, Men, and Boys; and Grandparents and Older Caregivers: Department of Aging and Community Living.

Watch live on the following platforms:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BTlTZeeYyhQ
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Session A: Delivering Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care: A Multi-Disciplinary Discussion

MedStar Health

Description: We know that respectful and anti-racist maternal care should be the standard for providers, but what does it look like in practice? In this session, we will explore how to deliver respectful and anti-racist maternal care through the following perspectives: obstetrics, midwifery, health equity research, patient safety, and community. Panelists will discuss experiences with respectful/disrespectful and racist/anti-racist maternal care, why change is important, and how we achieve the respectful and anti-racist maternal care for all.

Theme(s): Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care

Dr. Angela Thomas, Vice President, Healthcare Delivery Research
Dr. Tamika Auguste, Chairwoman of Women’s and Infants’ Services at MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Dr. Loral Patchen, Medical Director of MedStar OBGYN Center
Libertad Montoya, MSN-Ed, BSN, RN, Registered Nurse at Medstar Washington Hospital Center

Session A will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on  YouTube: https://youtu.be/dF9lMAv7fb0
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

 

 

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Session B: Family Building Options for the LGBTQ+ Community

CCRM Fertility

Description: This session will explore the family building challenges that LGBTQ+ prospective parents face and highlight available treatment options for individuals and couples including: use of donor sperm/egg; surrogacy and third-party reproduction; In vitro fertilization (IVF); and, Intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Theme(s): Expansive Birth Options, Fatherhood, Infertility, Reproductive Healthcare Needs, Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care

Dr. Carter Owen, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Specialist

Session B will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Ar-XBS5-E
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Session A: Supporting Breastfeeding in the Capital—The Roles of Identity, Norms, Systemic Racism, and Resistance

DC Breastfeeding Coalition

Description: This presentation will share detailed research findings about where women draw their sense of norms, how their identities influence breastfeeding intentions, examples of how racism acts as a barrier to breastfeeding, and examples of how women resisted and overcame to successfully breastfeed. The presentation will conclude with discussion of how we might apply the results in communication messaging, public health programs, health system changes, and policies to ultimately increase breastfeeding rates for African American women in D.C.

Theme(s): Nutrition, Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care

Dr. Sahira Long, Medical Director, Children’s National Anacostia
Dr. Aubrey Villalobos, Health Scientist, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute

Session A will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on  YouTube: https://youtu.be/dF9lMAv7fb0
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Session B: Making Safe Sleep Accessible and Inclusive

First Candle, DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Description: This session will examine implicit bias and how this impacts the way in which a provider might communicate safe sleep information to a family. We review how fathers can be empowered to take an active role in promoting safe sleep and supporting mom in breastfeeding and discuss the DC Safe Sleep Education and Outreach Project. 

Theme(s): Safe Sleep, Fatherhood

Barb Himes, Director of Education and Bereavement Services, First Candle
Dr. Kristinza Giese, Deputy Medical Examiner, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Jacqueline Corbin-Armstrong, Fatality Review Specialist, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
Sharon Brandon, Safe Sleep Program Coordinator, DC Health

Session B will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Ar-XBS5-E
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Session A: More Than Safe Sleep: Children's National Hospital Primary Care Infant Mortality Risk Identification

Children’s National

Description: Children’s National Hospital has identified reducing infant mortality as one of its strategic priorities. In order to develop an infant mortality reduction plan for the Goldberg Center for Community Pediatric Health, a retrospective review of records was deemed necessary to determine the modifiable risk factors. In this session, we will present the Goldberg Center Infant Mortality Risk Identification data and ongoing research endeavors in developing a risk assessment tool and risk stratification system to identify high risk infants and prompt early intervention.

Theme(s): Safe Sleep, Fatherhood

Dr. Katrina Hammond-Jack, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellow
Dr. ElShadey Bekele, Pediatrician, Children’s National Hospital
Dr. Sahira Long, Medical Director, Children’s National Anacostia

Session A will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on  YouTube: https://youtu.be/dF9lMAv7fb0
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

 

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Session B: Before pregnancy, during, and beyond: The Role of Continuous Reproductive Health Care

The What to Expect Project

Description: Preconception care is one of the most critical, proven-effective, and cost-effective of all strategies to improve pregnancy health, reduce life-threatening complications of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and help ensure a healthier lifetime for mom and baby. Preconception is also the perfect time to begin crucial engagement of fathers – to approach the making and nurturing of a baby as a collaborative effort. Participants will leave with a better understanding of opportunities to implement preconception healthcare as a tool for improving maternal and perinatal health outcomes.

Theme(s): Fatherhood, Reproductive Healthcare Needs

Annie Toro, President and Executive Director, The What to Expect Project

Session B will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Ar-XBS5-E
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

Session A: Improving Maternal and Infant Health through the DC Perinatal Quality Collaborative

DC Hospital Association

The panel will discuss the importance and structure of the DCPQC, the use of patient safety bundles and quality improvement initiatives to enhance perinatal health outcomes, the need to address race and place based disparities in health and in health care in the District and how the DCPQC integrates the community into its work on clinical quality improvement.

Theme(s):  Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care, Perinatal Quality

Gayle Olano Hurt, Assistant Vice President of Patient Safety & Quality Operations, DC Hospital Association
Yolette Gray, Senior Manager Public Policy & Community Engagement at District of Columbia Hospital Association
Dr. Melissa Fries, Clinical Director, DC Perinatal Quality Collaborative

Session A will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on  YouTube: https://youtu.be/dF9lMAv7fb0
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

1:45 pm - 2:45 pm

Session B: Which Comes First? Why Is It So Hard for Housing and Health Care to Work Together During Pregnancy?

Community of Hope

Description: Two years ago we embarked on a journey to ensure that any birthing person in any of our housing programs would get special support to improve birth outcomes even under stressful circumstances. Building this collaboration was harder than we expected and provides insights into what we can do to work better together. This session will include the perspectives of our perinatal care coordinator, housing case manager, and a program participant.

Theme(s): Social Determinants of Health

Abayea Pelt, Director, Maternal and Child Health Program
Jamilah Muhayman, Perinatal Care Coordination Specialist
Sara Cartmill, Senior Director, Housing Programs
Dr. C. Anneta Arno, Director, Office of Health Equity, DC Health

Session B will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Ar-XBS5-E
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Session A: We Aim to Rectify: Self- Advocacy as a Solution to Maternal Health Crises

Mamatoto Village

Description: A history of medical racism has removed Black, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, and People of Color from the personal agency to generate and co-create health-centered solutions within our public and private medical systems. Mamatoto Village invites you and your people to the most dignified future where all of us have the resources to safely participate within and alongside health institutions to rectify a history of harm that manifests as risks and adverse health conditions. Participants will review the overlapping tenets of racial justice and self-advocacy to promote personal and institutional investment in culturally congruent healthcare models during the perinatal period and throughout the lifespan.

Theme(s): Expansive Birth Options, Mental Health, Reproductive Healthcare Needs, Respectful and Anti-Racist Maternal Care

Raven Freeborn, Senior Policy & Advocacy Manager


Session A will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on  YouTube: https://youtu.be/dF9lMAv7fb0
Watch on Facebook @MomHealthDC or @MayorMurielBowser

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Session B: Infant and Maternal Wellness

Bright Beginnings

Description: This session will highlight the impact of trauma and its impact on birthing people prenatally and postnatally. Participants will explore offerings that Bright Beginnings has to address issues for young parents, birthing people experiencing domestic violence, and safe sleep practices.

Theme(s): Mental Health, Nutrition, Safe Sleep

Ebony Tuzon, Infant and Maternal Wellness Manager
Alexandria Miller, Child & Family Trauma Support Therapist

Session B will be streamed live on the following platforms:

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Ar-XBS5-E
Watch on Twitter @MomHealthDC or @MayorBowser

Maternal Health’s Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/MomHealthDC

 

 

 

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This project was supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), Grant Number 90TP0045, from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Child Care, the Administration for Children and Families, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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