State maternal health innovation program - minnesota has one of the highest levels of health outcomes and life quality in the nation

IT also has one of the highest disparities for health outcomes for black, american indian, and other people of color. While minnesota's maternal health outcomes appear better than national averages, deep disparities reveal implicit biases, inequalities in access, gaps in quality of care and the effects of structural racism. These disparities have continued for decades. The innovations for maternal health outcomes in minnesota (i-MOM) proposal enhances minnesota's capacity to improve maternal health outcomes for communities experiencing the highest rates of disparities. The minnesota department of health (MDH) recognizes addressing severe maternal morbidity and mortality is essential for public health. Improving access, quality and utilization of maternal care is complex and crosses multiple professional disciplines, service delivery systems, and other organizations. The i-MOM project purpose is to align and strengthen the implementation of innovative, data-driven, community-informed and supported maternal health programs to improve outcomes for communities experiencing the highest rates of disparities in minnesota. This purpose will be achieved by accomplishing the following goals and objectives. Goal 1: build a shared vision for maternal health - under the i-MOM, MDH will serve as a leader to convene, support, and synchronize existing activities around maternal health. By utilizing the work already underway such as maternal health programs, assessments, and evaluations as well as forming a specific maternal health task force, CO-led by community leaders, to develop a unifying maternal health strategic plan. The maternal health strategic plan will promote innovative program development, identify policy needs, and other activities to address and support improved maternal health outcomes. Objectives supporting this are: - establish a multidisciplinary, DI verse, and community-led maternal health task force - conduct baseline assessment of maternal care and identify critical gaps and strengths to inform the maternal health strategic plan - maternal health task force develops and participates in implementing a statewide maternal health strategic plan. Goal 2: improve data access and expand surveillance - improve timely, high-quality state level maternal health data to support surveillance and data driven activities to inform the development of innovative maternal health programs through the i-MOM project. Objectives supporting this are: - improve dissemination of statewide data and develop a public maternal health dashboard - increase MDH's epidemiology capacity to support maternal health data collection, surveillance, and reporting - develop and pilot severe maternal morbidity reviews. Goal 3: improve the collection, reporting, and analysis of aim data - minnesota became an alliance for innovation on maternal health (aim) state in spring of 2022. Minnesota perinatal quality collaborative (mnpqc), CO-led by MDH, is eager to take the next step in statewide quality improvement efforts for maternal health outcomes. Mnpqc is especially eager to engage with the aim community to learn, build and grow this work. The i-MOM project will commit 20% of the overall project budget to mnpqc to elevate aim initiatives in minnesota, including data infrastructure. Objectives supporting this are: - identify and implement aim bundles and support data collection and sharing - aim technical assistance, training, and sharing QI project success to promote participation - identify next aim bundle incorporating the maternal health task force, the maternal health strategic plan and community recommendations. Under the i-MOM project, MDH and our partners have the necessary skills and capabilities to create momentum to address disparate maternal health outcomes in minnesota.