April 2026 - 2nd Edition
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Inside this edition:
Become a Sponsor Today for MNPQC’s Annual Summit!
2025 Kunsche Award Recipient: Rhonda Fellows
Beyond the Baby Blues: Call for Proposals
Many Faces of Community Health: Call for Proposals
Apply for the Transforming Maternal Health Model (TMaH) in Hennepin County
Join us at our Plans of Safe Care Sprint (April-May 2026)
New Minnesota Perinatal Data Dashboard Now Available!
E-Learning Series: Perinatal Substance Use in Midwest Minnesota
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Become a Sponsor Today for MNPQC’s Annual Summit! |
Join MNPQC as a sponsor for the 2026 Perinatal Improvement Summit on October 27, 2026, in Minneapolis. This one-day event brings together over 200 healthcare professionals, clinicians, doulas, nurses, advocates, public health leaders, and community organizations dedicated to improving perinatal outcomes.
Sponsorship opportunities look a little different this year. We have updated our packages to better align with our partners’ missions and values.
Gold Sponsors support key moments at our conference, like the opening and closing plenaries.
Silver Sponsors guarantee that essential behind-the-scenes elements, such as Wi-Fi and lactation spaces, are available.
Vendor Table Sponsors showcase their work and connect directly with attendees.
Explore the Sponsorship Packages Guide and the different perks for each level. Spaces are limited!
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| 2026 Summit Sponsorships
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2025 Kunsche Award Recipient: Rhonda Fellows
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Congratulations to Rhonda Fellows, the recipient of MNPQC’s 2025 Kunsche Award. Rhonda exemplifies the spirit of this award through more than 20 years of leadership and dedication to community-centered perinatal care.
As the owner of Oily Doula and Co-Founder and CEO of the Community Aware Birthworker Continuing Education Organization, Rhonda has been instrumental in advancing the role of doulas and birthworkers in the Twin Cities community. Her work has helped build a stronger, more equitable foundation for perinatal care in communities statewide.
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2025 Kunsche Award Honorable Mentions
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We are also proud to recognize MNPQC’s 2025 Kunsche Award Honorable Mentions – Kristen Bewley, Mallory Cummings, Linda Hsiung Dech, Dr. Sommerness, and Sharonne Dolechek – for their outstanding leadership in perinatal health.
Each of these incredible professionals has gone above and beyond in their commitment to supporting families across Minnesota. Their passion, innovation, and dedication to addressing the needs of Minnesota families have driven meaningful and lasting change. Thank you, Kristen, Mallory, Linda, Dr. Sommerness, and Sharonne, for your unwavering efforts to improve maternal and infant health. Your impact is felt far and wide, and we’re so grateful for your leadership.
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| Learn More
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Beyond the Baby Blues: Call for Proposals
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NAMI Minnesota, in partnership with Redleaf Center for Family Healing, presents: Beyond the Baby Blues – a full-day conference designed to educate professionals and families about mood disorders and anxiety before, during, and after pregnancy. Join them on June 2, 2026, from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. This year’s theme is Community
Safety, Healing, and Perinatal Mental Health.
They are seeking speakers, storytellers, clinicians, and community leaders who are passionate about perinatal mental health, culturally grounded care, lived experience, storytelling, and supporting diverse families and communities. If you or someone in your network has a voice, perspective, or expertise to share, you are encouraged to submit a proposal. Call for Proposals Deadline: April 17, 2026.
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| Submit Proposal
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Many Faces of Community Health: Call for Proposals
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Many Faces of Community Health is a one-day conference that focuses on the impact of health care and on applying best practices to the delivery of primary care to Minnesotans. The 2026 Many Faces Conference, hosted by the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers in partnership with the Department of Health, will be on September 29, 2026, at the Heritage Center
of Brooklyn Center.
They are seeking presenters experienced in working with populations that face significant health, social, and economic challenges. Submit a proposal abstract for a 60-minute oral presentation describing your practical, tested strategies or promising practices that can be implemented in clinical or community settings, and address any of the following:
Addressing the needs of patients with, or at risk of, chronic diseases
Addressing quality of care, care redesign or operational improvements, team-based care, or care coordination and primary care integration (including medical, behavioral, and/or oral health)
Addressing the unique challenges facing safety net providers
Topics of particular interest include maternal health, the health care workforce, clinical best practices, creative solutions for current issues, and any other topics related to community health. Proposal Deadline: June 3, 2026.
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| Learn More
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Apply for the Transforming Maternal Health Model (TMaH) in Hennepin County
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The Department of Human Services (DHS) invites you to apply for the Transforming Maternal Health Model (TMaH), a new value-based payment model from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designed to address gaps in maternal health access, quality, and whole-person care through Medicaid. In our state, this model is being piloted in Hennepin County. Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
For application questions or technical assistance, please email transformingmaternalhealthmodel.dhs@state.mn.us.
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| Apply Here
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Join us at our Plans of Safe Care Sprint (April-May 2026) |
We are officially two weeks away from our first session of the Plans of Safe Care Sprint (POSC)!! Registration is still open! This free, three-session educational series aims to bring together partners from healthcare, public health, and community organizations to explore practical strategies, share perspectives, and improve coordination across sectors. Each session will highlight real-world approaches and create space for discussion around what’s working and where opportunities exist.
Session Details:
April 30, 2026 | 12-1 PM - Plans of Safe Care (POSC) 101: The Landscape of POSC in Minnesota
May 14, 2026 | 12-1 PM - Operationalizing POSC: Practical Strategies for Hospitals and Community Systems
May 28, 2026 | 12-1 PM - Dissolving Silos: Cross-System Collaboration in POSC Implementation
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| Register Now
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New Minnesota Perinatal Data Dashboard Now Available! |
The Innovations for Maternal Health Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) program at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has launched a new, online perinatal health dashboard featuring data from 2017 to 2023. This initial release focuses on infant outcomes and care delivery, including fetal and infant death, preterm birth, and method of delivery.
Users can explore key data highlights or interact with the dashboard to view outcomes by geography and factors such as maternal age, race, and ethnicity. The dashboard is designed to support partners and programs in using data to inform perinatal health efforts across communities. Additional maternal health topics will be added soon.
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| Explore the Dashboard
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E-Learning Series: Perinatal Substance Use in Midwest Minnesota
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Developed by Hennepin Healthcare in partnership with Project ECHO, the Perinatal Substance Use Workforce Development Project offers practical, evidence-based strategies for professionals working with pregnant women with lived experience of substance use.
This series includes 13 short, self-paced modules designed to build knowledge and confidence in best practices that support healthier outcomes for birthing families across Minnesota. Topics include harm reduction, marijuana use during pregnancy, breastfeeding outcomes with methamphetamine use, postpartum care, and more.
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| E-Learning Series
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