Maternal Health Summit: Supporting Practice, Policy, and Quality Imperatives for Hospital Teams Register Now

Maternal Health Summit Registration

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Nicole Stallings
President & Chief Executive Officer, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania
 

Maternal Health Outcomes in the U.S. and the Pathway to Improvement

Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD, MAS, FACOG
System Medical Director of Health Outcomes, Medical Director of Quality, Women’s Services
Medical Director, Minimally Invasive Center for Treatment of Uterine Fibroids 
Associate Professor, Ochsner Clinical School

Maternal mortality remains a critical challenge in the U.S., even as outcomes improve in many other parts of the world.  In this keynote session, Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell will explore the complex factors contributing to maternal mortality and the evidence-based strategies that can drive better outcomes. Drawing from clinical practice and systems level work, she will offer a clear, practical path forward for hospitals and health systems committed to advancing maternal health and equity.

Navigating The Joint Commission and CMS Expectations for Maternal Health Excellence

Jennifer Anderson DNP, APRN, CNS
Director, Department of Standards and Survey Methods
Global Accreditation and Certification Product Development
Accreditation and Certification Operations
The Joint Commission

This session will provide an in-depth look at current maternal health standards from The Joint Commission and CMS, with a focus on compliance and survey readiness. The session will also introduce The Joint Commission’s Maternal Levels of Care Verification Program, developed with ACOG, and how it supports safer, risk-aligned care.

Networking Break

Healthy Moms, Vibrant Futures: Delivering Pennsylvania’s Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan

Sara Goulet
Special Advisor, Office of the Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Learn how the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is advancing maternal health through targeted policy, program, and payment strategies. Sara Goulet will highlight statewide efforts to improve access, equity, and outcomes for pregnant women and their babies.

Ignite Talks—Clinical Operations

Improvement initiatives related to workforce, care delivery, and increasing access to perinatal mental health

1)    Protecting New Mothers—Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Program

Adena Brewington-Brown, CRNP, DNP
Cardio-Obstetrics Specialist, Main Line Health

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of maternal complications, yet many new moms have trouble getting to a doctor’s office for regular monitoring. Learn how Main Line Health’s remote blood pressure monitoring program is improving maternal health outcomes by increasing access to care, enabling early intervention for conditions like preeclampsia, and empowering new mothers to manage their health safely from home.

2)    Practices for Higher-Risk Deliveries 

Julie Long, BSN, MHA, CPPS, RN
Senior Director for Maternal Child Health 
Tower Health Reading Hospital

Discover how Reading Hospital is improving outcomes for higher-risk deliveries through regular team-based simulation training. Using realistic models, physicians and certified nurse midwives practice breech deliveries in a controlled setting—building skills, confidence, and coordination to better support patients.

3)    WAVES (Women Adjusting to Various Emotional States)

Christina Felten, DNP, CNM, WHNP
Associate Practice Leader LVPG OBGYN/Midwifery
Lehigh Valley Health Network

Learn how Lehigh Valley Health Network’s WAVES (Women Adjusting to Various Emotional States) program is improving access to perinatal mental health care by integrating specialized support for postpartum depression and related conditions directly into OB-GYN services—empowering existing providers to deliver timely, comprehensive care in a more routinely, accessible way.

Networking Lunch

Integrated Transitions: Team-Based Solutions from Birthing to Non-Birthing Settings

Panelists will share strategies for improving communication, continuity of care, and patient hand-offs and discuss lessons learned from real-world efforts to break down silos and improve shared ownership of maternal care outcomes.

Moderator:

Adriane Burgess PhD, RNC-OB, C-EFM, C-ONQS, CPHQ, FAWHONN
Principal, Adriane L. Burgess & Associates LLC
Senior Director of Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality, Maryland Patient Safety Center, Administrator of OB/GYN Residency Research at WellSpan York Hospital

Panelists:

Elissa M. Concini MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, C-ONQS
Operations Manager, Women’s Health Subspecialties, Geisinger 

Michael J. Reihart, DO, FACEP
Regional Medical Director, Emergency Health Services Federation/Lancaster EMS
Medical Director, Emergency Services, Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center

Kim Schell, RN, CRNP
Vice President Patient Services, Titusville Area Hospital

Toniah Alexander-Gillard
Lead Doula, Harrisburg Birth Circle Doula’s, UPMC
 

Ignite Talks—Community Connections

Innovative community partnership models

1. Mobilizing Community Partnerships | First Steps & Beyond

Takiyah Durham, Director, First Steps and Beyond
Director, First Steps and Beyond 
Allegheny Health Network

Learn how to mobilize the community through strategic partnerships, grounded in a maternal health safety model and unified strategy.  This talk highlights how the collaboration between Pittsburgh’s community-based organizations (CBOs), birth workers, medical systems, and government are leveraging these approaches to enhance the birth experience, create positive birth outcomes, and reduce infant mortality and disparities. 

2. Using Human Centered Design to Engage Community Forums

Adam Kohlrus
DoTank

Explore a model for engaging rural communities in addressing maternal health disparities as Adam Kohlrus shares lessons from rural Missouri forums. Learn how communities identified their own health care challenges and developed actionable strategies to improve maternal health. This talk provides insight on a practical framework for hosting similar forums in your own community.

3. Sacred Support: Enon Tabernacle’s Free Doula Ministry

Reverand Leroy Miles (invited)

Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church’s Doula Ministry uniquely centers community, faith, and equity—offering free birth and postpartum doula services to their congregation and beyond. Learn how the ministry delivers personalized, compassionate, culturally affirming support across pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Break

Peer Exchange—Real-time Solutions from the Field

Move, share, and build insight as you rotate through conversations with our presenters and your colleagues from across the state. With each new encounter, bring a key insight you just learned—and walk away with practical ideas to take home.

Wrap-up and Adjourn