August 2026 |
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Inside this edition:
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A Year of Impact: Read Our 2025 Annual Report
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Welcome Carlie Abel, MSW, to the MNPQC Team!
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Call for Summit Poster Abstracts
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Recognize a Minnesota Organization That Is Making a Difference
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Join Our Growing Team!
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Thank You, Chris Derauf, for Three Years of Service
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Be A Part of the Conversation: Perinatal Education ECHO Session on Screening & Responding to Intimate Partner Violence
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Strengthen Rural Obstetric Emergency Readiness This Fall
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The Countdown to the Summit is On!
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Community Events Happening This August
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Learn More & Register Now: Fully Online Program on Maternal Nutrition
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Find Healthy Relationship Resources from Futures Without Violence
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A Year of Impact: Read Our 2025 Annual Report |
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MNPQC’s 2025 Annual Report is now available! The report highlights the programs, partnerships, and progress that shaped 2025 and showcases our collective efforts to advance safe, respectful, high-quality perinatal care for all Minnesota families. This work would not be possible without the dedication of our staff, volunteers, and partners!
Here’s a glimpse of our impact in 2025:
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Engaged 30 Minnesota and Wisconsin birthing facilities in our Quality Improvement Initiatives and Communities of Learning.
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Built and strengthened over 80 cross-sector partnerships through our committees, workgroups, programs, and more.
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Hosted 29 quality improvement program meetings to support learning, collaboration, and advancements in perinatal care.
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Shared five family story videos, now with more than 6,000 views (and counting), to elevate lived experiences of families and inspire compassionate, patient-centered care.
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Welcomed 221 attendees to the 2025 Perinatal Improvement Summit for a day of learning, networking, and collaboration.
These accomplishments are just a snapshot of the progress featured in the report. Explore the full Annual Report to learn more about the programs, partnerships, and our ongoing efforts that continue to strengthen perinatal care for Minnesota families.
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| Read Our Annual Report |
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Welcome Carlie Abel, MSW, to the MNPQC Team! |
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Help us give a warm welcome to the newest member of the MNPQC team, Carlie Abel, MSW. Carlie joined our team this July as a Program Coordinator to support the planning, implementation, and evaluation of our quality improvement programs.
Carlie is a licensed graduate social worker and program professional passionate about building strong community partnerships and working collaboratively with communities and providers to create meaningful systems change. With experience across community health, program coordination, and mental health practice, Carlie brings a people-centered and systems-focused perspective to quality improvement. Her work has included providing psychotherapy, domestic violence advocacy, coordinating federally funded initiatives, leading cross-functional teams, developing community partnerships, and supporting both grant implementation and reporting.
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Recognize a Minnesota Organization That Is Making a Difference |
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We are excited to announce that the 2026 Outstanding Community Organization Award nomination form is open! Help us recognize a Minnesota-based organization or program/service that has made a significant, measurable impact on improving perinatal health by providing essential services, education, and/or care.
Nominate a community organization or program/service by August 21, 2026, for consideration. Self-nominations are welcome.
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| Nominate Today! |
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Call for Summit Poster Abstracts |
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Share your research, quality improvement work, or promising practices in maternal, infant, or perinatal health at the 2026 Perinatal Improvement Summit this October! Poster presentations will be displayed throughout the conference, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from your work.
Submit your abstract by September 1, 2026.
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| Learn More |
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Join Our Growing Team! |
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Are you passionate about improving perinatal health and making a meaningful difference for Minnesota families? MNPQC is growing our team, and we're excited to be hiring for two positions:
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Program Coordinator: This role provides the operational backbone for MNPQC’s quality improvement programs aligned with AIM bundles and other perinatal priorities.
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Communications & Outreach Coordinator: This position plays a key role in strengthening awareness of and engagement with MNPQC by supporting communications, marketing, and partner outreach efforts.
The application deadline is August 28, 2026, for both positions. |
| Learn More & Apply |
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Thank You, Chris Derauf, for Three Years of Service |
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As Chris Derauf, MD, concludes his three years of service on MNPQC's Program Advisory Committee, we want to thank him for his dedication and leadership. Since joining the committee in September 2023, Chris also served as MNPQC's representative on the Minnesota Task Force on Pregnancy Health and Substance Use Disorders. His expertise and advocacy have been invaluable to our substance use quality improvement efforts, helping translate recommendations into meaningful improvements for healthcare systems across Minnesota
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Be A Part of the Conversation: Perinatal Education ECHO Session on Screening & Responding to Intimate Partner Violence |
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Recognizing and responding to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a critical part of providing safe, compassionate care to pregnant and postpartum individuals. As perinatal healthcare professionals and advocates, we each play an important role in identifying signs of violence, creating safe opportunities for disclosure, and connecting patients with the support they need. In the most recent Minnesota Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) report, its findings identified 28 pregnancy-associated deaths due to violence between 2017 and 2021, with 19 that occurred during the postpartum period.
Our next Perinatal Education ECHO session on Thursday, August 6, from 12 –1 PM CDT will feature Dr. Lynette Renner, a professor from the University of Minnesota. She will discuss strategies for screening for IPV, facilitating difficult conversations with patients, and responding in ways that promote safety and support.
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| Register Today |
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Strengthen Rural Obstetric Emergency Readiness This Fall |
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Obstetric emergencies can happen anywhere, and every rural care team deserves the tools, confidence, and support needed to respond effectively when they do. MNPQC is here to help support and strengthen obstetric emergency readiness with our six-part Rural Improving Maternal & Perinatal Access, Care, and Teamwork (IMPACT) Sprint. Through six detailed presentations, content experts will cover key topics such as:
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Foundations of obstetric emergency readiness
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Standardizing hemorrhage supplies and systems
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Team roles, communication, and simulation
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Maternal early warning systems and escalation pathways
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Stabilization and transfer coordination
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Sustaining improvements through data, debriefing, and a culture of continuous learning.
This sprint is designed for clinicians, nurses, quality improvement professionals, and hospital administrators working in rural healthcare settings and Critical Access Hospitals, although everyone is welcome to attend.
Join us on September 17, 2026, from 12 - 1 PM CDT as we kick off this important series!
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| Learn More and Register |
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The Countdown to the Summit is On! |
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We are less than three months away from the 2026 Perinatal Improvement Summit. Join clinicians, doulas, nurses, public health professionals, community organizations, advocates, and families on October 27, 2026, at the Minneapolis Marriott West for a day of learning, collaboration, and connection. This year's theme, Uniting to Advance Perinatal Health, celebrates the partnerships that drive meaningful improvements in care. Registration is still open, and sponsorship opportunities are available. We would love to see you there! |
| Attend Our Summit |
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Learn More & Register Now: Fully Online Program on Maternal Nutrition |
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The National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course, offered through the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, will be available from September 1 through December 31, 2026. For just $35 per person, this fully online, self-paced course provides learners with expert guidance on evidence-based maternal and infant nutrition across pregnancy, postpartum, infancy, and early childhood. Topics include lactation while on GLP-1 Medications, the role of whole cow’s milk, lactose-free or reduced-lactose formulas, navigating WIC resources, and much more!
Participants are eligible to earn up to 7 contact hours of professional continuing education (CE), with available CE credits varying by discipline. This course is ideal for dietitians, certified nurse-midwives, registered nurses, physicians, public health professionals, and others who support maternal and child health. It may also be valuable for pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women who are interested in learning more about maternal and infant nutrition. |
| Access Course Description |
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Find Healthy Relationship Resources from Futures Without Violence |
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Are you looking for resources to help promote healthy relationships and prevent violence? Futures Without Violence is a national non-profit organization that has spent nearly 40 years working toward a vision that reflects its name—a future without violence that is created through education, safety, justice, and hope. Their work is centered around five key pillars: Preventing Violence Against Women and Children, Creative Positive Pathways for Men and Boys, Improving Quality Health, Expanding Economic Opportunity, and Building Courageous Leaders.
In addition to these focus areas, Futures offers a comprehensive resource library featuring free and for-purchase materials that support their mission. Whether you are looking for downloadable and print-ready products or quick links to dedicated toolkits on domestic violence and intimate partner violence, the library makes it easy to find practical information and tools for professionals, organizations, and communities. |
| Explore the Resource Library |
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