Region 1 Perinatal Quality Collaborative

The Upper Peninsula Perinatal Collaborative was formed in July of 2017 to support the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (MDHHS) Regional Perinatal Care System goal of ensuring mothers and babies are healthy and thriving across our region.  A motivated and diverse group of stakeholders from across the region, representing Community Mental Health agencies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, Early Childhood Education and Early/Head Start Program agencies, the Michigan Public Health Institute, Tribal Health and Human Services, Health Departments, Planned Parenthood, Upper Peninsula Health Plan, Upper Peninsula Health Care Solutions and  its network of member hospitals and hospital-affiliated clinics, are active participants of the Collaborative.

The Region 1 Collaborative is pleased to join the existing Regional Perinatal Care System Initiatives across the state, and support the shared goal of improving birth outcomes for mothers and babies, including the elimination of health disparities across its 15-county region.  Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) and maternal opioid use have emerged as key priority areas for our region, as the Upper Peninsula has the highest incidence of NAS in Michigan. The planning phase of the Regional Perinatal Collaborative, supported by funding from the MDHHS, began in late 2017 and focused on building a locally linked, coordinated network to support the highest standards of health for mothers and their babies in the UP.

Activities include:

• Convening the UP Regional Perinatal Collaborative regularly and recruiting people, who represent organizations germane to our goals, to add to our roster of over 80 members.
• Researching, funding and promulgating workforce development opportunities that are pertinent to perinatal care for collaborative members.
• Through a partnership with the Michigan Public Health Institute, the Collaborative completed a multi-faceted, cross-system needs, resources and opportunities NAS assessment for Marquette County.
• Implementing the Society for Public Health Education SCRIPT (Smoking Cessation/Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment) program in primary care offices, home visiting programs, and other community health settings throughout the UP.
• Developing protocols that make Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) available as a part of the birth plan for pregnant women in the UP.
• Developing an integrated care team and a care coordination workgroup to address barriers to prenatal care, high-risk pregnancy screening and response protocols, pre-birth planning, and safe-discharge planning for all pregnant women in the UP.
• Developing universal home-visiting referral protocols for all pregnant women in the UP.
• Piloting an e-Screening and Brief Intervention program at a Primary Care clinic in the UP.

Contact us to learn more about the Region 1 Perinatal Collaborative effort.