Speaker 1: (00:12)
Hello everyone. And welcome to creating healthier moms and babies. It's a program that we put together with Parkview health, the leading health system in, uh, Eastern Indiana. I'm Steven Collins, the CEO of matter. We are a healthcare technology incubator and an innovation hub built on a belief that collaboration between entrepreneurs and industry leaders is the best way to develop healthcare solutions. Our mission is to accelerate the pace of change of healthcare. I am delighted to share that, uh, Parkview health and matter have launched our third annual healthy mom and baby challenge. Um, each year since 2020, we've worked with Parkview to find entrepreneurs working on novel solutions to improve maternal and child health and help foster collaborations between the startups and Parkview to further develop and test these solutions. Um, over the last two years, we've received more than a hundred applications from nine different countries.

Speaker 1: (01:06)
And Parkview has worked with four of the companies. Uh, we look forward to seeing what solutions will emerge from this year's initiative. Uh, we have extended the scope this year to solutions that have the potential to improve the lives of mothers and children through their P preteen years. Um, and this look at pediatrics with a lens on increasing equity for underrepresented mothers and children will address access to care for preventive and chronic, uh, conditions. So today we're gonna learn more about the challenges, uh, faced from a group of people representing Parkview, uh, hymns, the Indiana women's fund and the, uh, Indiana family and social services administration. The panelists from these organizations will also discuss existing initiatives from others and children and areas of opportunity for innovation. Um, and then later in the program, we'll hear from Ethel massing who's innovation specialist at Parkview who will speak, uh, directly to the healthy mom and baby in innovation competition and how you can get involved.

Speaker 1: (02:09)
Um, so thank you to the team from Parkview. Who's been instrumental in the planning and launch of this challenge, Ethel of course, um, Spencer Perkins, Alyssa, um, anger, Charlotte gibe in particular who have helped shape this effort. Um, and of course, Jill Suko, who is the senior vice president and chief innovation officer, uh, at Parkview. Um, Joly has been a wonderful thought partner and champion of innovation within Parkview and beyond. Um, we work with a lot of health systems and the way that Parkview approaches and delivers innovation under Joly's leadership is, um, really unusual and really exceptional. Um, so Joann will introduce our panelists and moderate the discussion, which I know you will all enjoy. Uh, so with that, I will turn it over Jill in to you.

Speaker 2: (03:02)
Thank you, Steven, for those kind words we love working with Matt. We always look for great partners and matter is a wonderful partner. Uh, I wanna share a little bit about Parkview health and why this work is so important to us. Um, Parkview is a 10 hospital system in Northeast Indiana. We have a thousand provider group, a small health plan and the mirror center for research and innovation, where we do clinical research and health services research have a simulation lab and where we host our innovation competition. We're also the largest employer in the region. Um, and, and we take our role as the largest employer in economic development. Very, very seriously. We're also the safety net hospital in our region, and we're often the first or the anchor contributor to, um, uh, helping solve a lot of our region's problems. So this competition really helps us bring together the best of who we are in terms of being both a large economic force in our region, but also, uh, a company that works to solve problems.

Speaker 2: (04:15)
So I'm really excited to be here today. We have an incredible group of panelists from the local state and national level, and I'm going to introduce them. And as I introduce them, I think they'll turn on their cam cameras. Um, Erin Norton sit, see sited to my left is the director of community community outreach for park view women and children's service line. Cassie beer also to my left is the women's fund director at the community foundation of greater Fort Wayne. Valerie Rogers online is the director of the government relationships team at hymns. David Gray is a director of government relations and connected health policy at hymns and Elizabeth Wall is a social worker at Indiana family and social services administration. So welcome, and thank you so much for joining us. I'm really excited about the discussion. So Cassie, I think I might start with you. Sure. Uh, the women's fund of greater Fort Wayne has conducted a lot of studies on our region and how to make Allen county more equitable for women. Um, tell me more about some of the actions that you're taking at the women's fund.

Speaker 3: (05:31)
So the women's fund exists to use research, education and advocacy to try and work on systems, level change for issues affecting women and girls in our community. We have three focus areas, economic security, our young women and girls and personal safety.

Speaker 2: (05:49)
Fantastic. Well, as part of your research, I saw that 26% of women in Allen county in 2020 did not seek out healthcare due to cost. Um, what steps can we be taking to help these mothers who do not seek out care due to cost?

Speaker 3: (06:05)
So it's really interesting in that study. It does say 26% didn't access because of cost. It also says that around 28% don't access because of their schedule too, they don't have the flexibility in their workplace to be able to take off time, to take themselves, take their kids to the doctor. So one thing that the women's fund is doing is educating employers on what are policies, benefits, workplace shifts you can do to help keep women in your workplace, like providing flexible work hours for women to be able to take themselves or their children, to the doctor, um, things like that. So we're focused on the economic side of how can we really empower and educate employers to realize that these things help them keep and promote and retain women in the workplace when they provide opportunity for women to seek out healthcare, provide quality health insurance, provide opportunities to have flexibility and their schedule to take care of things like that.

Speaker 2: (06:59)
That's fantastic. So just before this panel, we were also talking about the women's fund focus on personal safety. And can you share a little bit more about the exciting work that you're doing in that area?

Speaker 3: (07:11)
Absolutely. So we split personal safety into two initiatives. One is a domestic violence court. The national average for domestic violence is one in four women in Allen county. It's one in three and Allen county is known nationwide for our problem solving courts, but we do not have a domestic violence court. So a domestic violence court provide really great wraparound services and accountability. And so we're really advocating for that to happen. But secondly, we work on sexual assault. Uh, our rate in Allen county is 30% of women have experienced sexual assault. And one thing that we've heard as we've convened our community partners like the Y w C a sexual assault treatment center victims assistance to the for police is that survivors don't know where to go to access the specific help they need. We heard stories from the Y w C a sharing that they're driving people to sexual assault treatment center to get a forensic rape kit, because they can't get one at the Y w they can't get one at, at, in a hospital room, hospitals, emergency rooms, excuse me.

Speaker 3: (08:15)
So we also heard about college students not being able to access title, I websites on their college campuses because the links are broken or on and on. So we decided as the women's fund that we were going to own this, that we were going to provide the online resource to help survivors access what they need quickly. So today we launched a new campaign and website called no matter what, and it helps to clarify if it's been five days or less, go to the sexual assault treatment center and get a forensic rape kit so that you have that evidence, if you wanna use it. And then from there, you're able to filter out financial legal shelter, and it directs you exactly to the local resource. You need to find that help. So we launched that website today, and then we're putting the QR code on stickers, uh, for public restrooms. So we're inviting anyone with decision making power over a public restroom to reach out and, uh, get some stickers to place so that survivors can discreet quickly access, access, the help they need.

Speaker 2: (09:14)
Thank you. That is so exciting. Um, Elizabeth, um, Indiana is one of eight states funded by funded by CMS for the Indiana pregnancy promise program. Tell us a little bit about this five year grant focused on mothers with substance abuse disorder. How does it, how does it extend to other needs like mental and behavioral health?

Speaker 4: (09:39)
Hi, thank you so much for having me. Um, I am the program manager for the new statewide Indiana pregnancy promise program, which is housed at the Indiana family and social services. Administration promise is actually an acronym for promoting recovery from opioid use, maternal infant support and engagement, and really what the pregnancy promise program offers is a multi-generational approach to supporting pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries with current or past opioid use disorder, offering enhanced case management and care coordination supports beginning in the prenatal period and extending through 12 months postpartum for both the parent and the infant to really reduce the negative impacts of opioid use, um, on both parents and infants. And I will say we launched this program on July 1st, 2021. So we're really rounding out the first year of enrollment of the statewide program. And by and large, the majority of our enrollee have multiple mental health conditions.

Speaker 4: (10:59)
In addition to opioid use disorder, such as depression, anxiety, stress related, uh, mental health disorders. And really we know that by and large, the population that we are serving has experienced a lifetime of trauma and adversity. So in addition to wanting to, um, reduce stigma, increase access to care, um, for our population, including prenatal care, mental health care and behavioral health supports, we also aim to address the health related social needs of the family, like safe, stable housing, um, adequate nutrition services, um, transportation, and those, those types of services as well. So we try to be very comprehensive, um, with respect

Speaker 2: (11:52)
To this program. That's terrific. I'm gonna pivot a little bit to Valerie, Valerie, um, leveraging data, utilizing new tools and resources ex is extremely important for us to take, um, action on improving maternal and child health. Can you talk about the ways we are leveraging data to support mothers?

Speaker 5: (12:18)
Absolutely. And thank you for having me, um, as a part of the hymns government relations team and, and HIMMS being, um, a global advisor and thought leader, um, member based society. We are very much committed to reforming the global health ecosystem through the power of information and technology and given the plethora of information that we have at our fingertips now, um, we definitely believe in supporting and advocating for strong investments for those tools and resources that can be actionable at the state at the local and community level, um, to support, um, the turnaround in the maternal, uh, mortality crisis that we are seeing here in the country. So very much we are focusing on, um, leveraging state investments, um, and telehealth and remote patient monitoring. Um, what is really interesting is that through, um, the pandemic, um, it really sort of RO rose to our attention and was highlighted, um, maternal mortality and other chronic and infectious diseases that are infecting women and how, um, access to some of the digital tools, technologies, and information.

Speaker 5: (13:39)
Um, that gives us more, that gives us more detail about the populations that we, um, are hoping to support, um, through these crises, um, are really sort of left out of, um, a lot of the funding, uh, streams that would support them. So hems has been very involved. Um, and my colleague David Gray will talk about, um, some of our federal initiatives and advocacy for mom, us, but we are also very active in supporting states. Um, we believe states should match the investments in communities, um, particularly those with the highest returnal mortality rates. Um, and that also includes supporting active engagement of birthing hospitals, um, licensed birthing centers, perinatal providers, um, really to, um, inform their quality improvement efforts, um, and regular reporting at the state or racial health information exchanges. And we're really, um, happy to see that Indiana, um, has stood up one of the strongest information exchanges in the country.

Speaker 5: (14:48)
Um, and that along with the work of the Indiana management performance hub, I think really, um, stands out, um, in terms of opportunities where we believe that state momed us, um, should support. Um, and that includes, um, digital self-monitoring for women, um, leveraging Medicaid programs for little to no out of pocket cost to the patient that also includes increasing and improving reimbursement for care, starting with preconception through all phases of pregnancy and the first year postpartum, uh, and, and, and really thinking about, um, ensuring integrated telehealth models from maternity to care services, especially for those in rural environments. And I would also just, um, call to attention, um, the opportunities that exist now to use technology enabled, uh, collaborative learning and capacity models for pregnant and postpartum partum women, all of these, um, opportunities, um, really come together, um, to support a more well rounded approach in tackling this, this crisis that we're facing.

Speaker 5: (16:01)
And I, I guess I would just end by saying that we're also very much, um, aware of some of the gaps that we've seen in and the data collection and our vital record systems. So there's a, um, maternal mortality and maternal health is really a part of a larger conversation around health equity, but also around data modernization. And as I mentioned, having the exchanges, having data hubs, having the opportunity to leverage these, these data, um, in different ways and from different avenues to inform and improve surveillance and research on maternal health outcomes, um, is really gonna put us ahead of this crisis.

Speaker 2: (16:47)
I really appreciate that. And I feel like you anticipated my next question. So I'll change it up a little bit, but if you had a magic wand for a day, what would be your top gap to close from a data perspective around, um, maternal and child health, um, in our country?

Speaker 5: (17:06)
Gosh, you know, um, it's really hard to pick one, but, you know, I'll, I'll, I'll be good and, and narrow to two, you know, number one, I think is the expanded use of telehealth, um, and leveraging some of the Medicaid reimbursements in the states, um, where, where they exist. Um, I think, um, the expanded access to care, um, and the care coordination component, um, that must be, um, com related to that, which calls for a lot of interoperability across the spectrum of care. Um, and in order for us to address some of these help equity issues, um, interoperability is key. And, you know, I lastly, you know, I would just say that, um, the gap that we have seen, um, in our surveillance and reporting, um, especially at the national levels really has to improve, um, our maternal mortality review boards at the state level, I think can play an integral part, um, in ensuring that, um, we don't see those tenure gaps and that we are able to leverage, um, through the data that's, uh, you know, collected from the sources a mentioned, um, to, to really take an action now more real time.

Speaker 5: (18:17)
Action.

Speaker 2: (18:19)
Thank you. Thank you so much. So I, I wanna pivot to your colleague, David, um, a lot of initiatives and support will be termin, be determined by what states do, but there's also a need for federal policies. Can you talk about some of the federal policies that support healthy mothers?

Speaker 6: (18:40)
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, thanks so much for having me as well. Um, just take a quick step back. The question you asked Valerie about, you know, having a magic wand, you know, the root causes of the maternal mortality crisis are so widespread and really deeply entrenched in our healthcare system that really any single change we can, we can make, um, at the state level, at the federal level, doesn't matter if it's big or it's small, really have, um, an outsized impact on the lives of, um, pregnant and postpartum mothers everywhere. Um, so, you know, , it's, uh, it's really the, the sad fact is that, you know, really any baby steps we can, we can make, um, will really have a tremendous impact. Um, but back to your, the question you asked me, um, you know, you're, you're right, you know, states really do have a critical role in supporting initiatives and programs and policy changes tailored to the, um, to the different needs of their populations.

Speaker 6: (19:35)
And throughout the country, states are really finding innovative ways of using, you know, limited resources in, in a lot of instances to address specific issues. A lot of which can be replicated across the country, um, and are being replicated across the country. But, you know, to your point, federal policies are really the biggest drivers for, um, for nationwide adoption of, of change. Um, we've seen over the last couple of years, policy changes impact the state's ability to, um, extend postpartum coverage for up to a year establish maternal mortality review committees, as Valerie mentioned, um, address workforce shortage areas. Um, so what happens at the federal level is, is really crucial. Um, the, you know, the slightly good news is that in, in a mostly divided and hyperpartisan Washington DC, um, addressing the maternal mortality crisis has been one of the few issues that received has received overwhelming bipartisan support, um, and has also had a couple of successes, um, that they can, uh, can really can really show as making some, some changes.

Speaker 6: (20:38)
So, um, two, two points that I wanna raise, um, first is the, uh, the fiscal year 2022 omnibus bill, which was signed by the president in March, uh, and funded funds, the federal governments through September 30th, um, that bill had had a number of key maternal health provisions. Um, it included nearly a billion dollars across various HHS agencies, uh, which is a 4% increase over FY 21, um, to support, uh, maternal and child health programs aimed at reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal Mor uh, morbidity. Um, this was funding for HRSA CDC, um, office of women's health office of minority health, um, really all HHS agencies that, that play a role in, uh, in overall maternal health. Um, the Omnis Omnis bill also included two, two key pieces of legislation, um, bipartisan pieces of legislation, the, the maternal health quality improvement act and the, the rural maternal and obstetric modernization of services act are the rural moms act.

Speaker 6: (21:42)
Um, the, the maternal health quality improvement act, um, authorized funding to support training programs, to address and prevent, um, bias and racism, um, in the provision of prenatal labor, birthing, and postpartum healthcare services, um, and, and authorized funding to identify, develop, and disseminate best practices to improve maternal healthcare, quality and outcomes. Um, and the rural moms act, uh, as a name implies, you know, it's really focused on improving maternal care specifically in rural areas. Um, what this bill does is it improves rural and maternal obstetric care data collection and quality allowing the CDC to, to coordinate efforts, um, with states and other agencies, uh, on maternal mortality and morbidity, and really emphasizing research on pregnancy related deaths. Um, and it also included, uh, it, it also updated the, um, telehealth network and telehealth resource centers, grant program to include providers of prenatal labor care, birthing, and postpartum care, um, to support increased telehealth adoption, um, for maternal healthcare.

Speaker 6: (22:53)
So, you know, those are policies that are, they've been signed into law. They're, they're already being implemented as we speak. Um, and we should hopefully see some of the fruits of these bills, um, over the next couple of months and years, the second, uh, point that I wanna raise at the federal level, um, is the black maternal health mom to this act of 2021, which is commonly shortened to, um, just the momentous, uh, this bill, um, that was drafted by the black maternal health caucus, um, is a package of 12 bills, also introduces standalone debt. There really seeks to build on existing legislation to comp comprehensively address, uh, really every dimension of the maternal health crisis in America. The bill already has 177 co-sponsors in the house, uh, about 30 co-sponsors in the Senate, which is, um, about 40% of all members of Congress, um, as well as the support of over 250 state and national organizations.

Speaker 6: (23:49)
So this is a really popular bill. Um, it's gaining a lot of, lot of traction. Hasn't seen a lot of, um, a lot of success yet, but, um, but we're still, we're still very optimistic and this is one of H's key policy priorities for, for 2022. Um, what's specific to the OUS bill. You know, this is a, , it it's a very long bill. Um, I could probably spend over an hour going through all the various provisions, but, um, at a high level, you know, as I said, it really seeks to address every single issue associated with, um, adverse maternal health outcomes, whether it's, um, investing in social determinants of health, uh, improving bias, uh, supporting bias in racism, training programs and research, supporting pregnant veterans, supporting, um, incarcerated mothers growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce, um, supporting, uh, maternal mental health and substance use, um, uh, challenges, addressing climate change related environmental threats, um, you know, et cetera really covers a broad swath of issues.

Speaker 6: (24:53)
But, you know, two bills that I do want to, to point out for, for this group here is, um, first is the tech to save moms act. This would make, um, significant investments to promote the, the integration and development of telehealth and other digital tools like remote monitoring and self monitoring to close RA racial and ethnic gaps in maternal health outcomes. You know, telehealth is gonna be such an important tool to increasing access to care, um, especially for rural and underserved areas, um, that this is, uh, an issue that hymns is really, really supportive of. Um, and the other bill that I want to call out is the data to say moms act, which would, it would support greater, um, greater levels of community engagement and greater, um, participation in, in maternal mortality review committees, as well as, uh, support improvements in data collection. Um, the quality measures that are used for maternity care, uh, and as well as support maternal health and research at minority serving institutions, um, you know, out of the 12 bills that are, that encompass them on this package, one has already been signed into law.

Speaker 6: (25:59)
A couple others have been passed by the house, um, and others are still waiting, uh, waiting action at the committee level. The, um, the Democrats reconciliation bill, the, the build back better act, which is, you know, it's now, um, no longer, you know, being, being touted, but the build back better did include all of these provisions from the mom Debu act. Um, so, you know, there, there is a big push in Congress to, to continue addressing these issues. Um, so that's something that, you know, hymns and our partners in the space are really going to be, uh, be focused on, sorry, that was kind of a long answer.

Speaker 2: (26:37)
No, that that's fantastic. And, you know, I always feel hopeful and excited about our competition. Anytime you can hear bipartisan support of something in our hyper polarized environment is gives me hope. Um, does, does hymns have, and I don't know if we can put this in the chat for people who are interested in learning more about these. Do you have something on your website that participants could learn more that we could put out?

Speaker 5: (27:03)
Absolutely. This is Valerie. Um, in the chat box, I've, um, included a resource, um, uh, for developing digital tech enabled maternal health round, uh, report, um, with some very specific recommendations to spec specifically to those at the state and local level. And just one last, really quick thing for those of you who are looking comparatively across of the state legislation that has been proposed mom Debu, like legislation at the state level, um, California just late last year passed, um, their state mom Debu, um, both North Carolina and Illinois also have pending, uh, legislation and support of, um, really strong data and surveillance. Um, so, uh, supports, um, leveraging health information and technology as well. So those are, uh, a few you could take a look at.

Speaker 6: (27:55)
And the one thing I'll say also is, you know, while the MOBU bill does have support from 40% of Congress, um, it's not enough. So I I'll also post to send the chat, but hymns has a, um, a legislative action center campaign in support of the MOBU. So urging your elected federal officials to, to join as co-sponsors and urge, um, congressional leadership to, to take up the OUS bill, whether it's the whole package or standalone bills. Um, so I'll put that in the chat and, you know, it would be great if, um, everyone would take a, a couple of minutes to, to, to contact their elected officials.

Speaker 2: (28:30)
Well, thank you both so much. It's, it's exciting to learn what's going on at the national level and really how it impacts us here locally. So with that, I'm gonna turn to Erin nor Norton, who, who serves in our service line here at Parkview health and deals with the frontline, uh, of maternal and child health. So Erin 31.1% of mothers who gave birth in 2019 did not receive prenatal care beginning in the first trimester of pregnancy. And that's a statistic from the Indiana department of health. Um, what barriers of care do we often see?

Speaker 4: (29:07)
Well, Jill, there are a lot , um, our healthcare system is, uh, not always that easy to navigate, um, and that might actually be, um, even more so for some of the people we're trying to help with this contest, um, for women who are 18, 19, 20 years old, this may be their first experience making a doctor's appointment on their own. They might not know who to call, where to go. Some of just the basic, very simple, fundamental steps. They're, they're not always that simple, uh, for immigrants and refugees. Um, there are a lot more concerns. For example, if a woman has had her first four children in a refugee camp in Thailand and had little, if any prenatal care at all, it's gonna be a big shift for her, um, to, to get any prenatal care much less, you know, within that first trimester and, and as many visits as we want her to get.

Speaker 4: (30:02)
Um, and then there are also social determinants of health. Does this person have transportation to get to and from the doctor, do they have childcare to watch their other kids? Uh, Cassie mentioned earlier, will their work schedules permit it, um, because if you have to choose between getting fired from your job or going to a doctor's appointment, you might choose to keep that income to keep a roof over your head, and then also insurance. Another thing that is difficult to navigate. Um, and if you don't have insurance, um, how are you gonna pay this bill? It's a, it's a scary thought for a lot of families. And then also, uh, for some women, um, in a domestic violence situation, this could be a very scary topic for her. It could make her partner volatile. Um, and then also if she has mental health challenges or substance use disorder, this may simply not be her top priority. And so we have a lot of things  very comprehensive list of things that need to be addressed.

Speaker 2: (31:00)
We're not short of challenges in need of innovation. I was so hopeful after we were talking about mom Nebu. Um, so I think about infant health and it's so impacted by the health of the mother. Um, so pre pregnant health, early prenatal care, and a positive environment, um, postpartum contributes to a strong start for kids. So for a lot of moms, postnatal support and care, isn't easy to find or make time for. So what resources exist for those moms and where do we have gaps?

Speaker 4: (31:37)
So we do, we're, we're lucky that we have, um, a lot of really good mental health therapists here locally and, and throughout the United States, as well as support groups, um, that are in person. And, and there are certainly a lot more, um, online support resources these last couple years. Um, but there it's simply not enough. Uh, we know that a lot of good therapists have very long waiting lists. And if you're in an acute situation, you know, waiting six, eight or weeks or longer is, is simply too long to get the help and support that you need. Um, and for, uh, a woman who is, is struggling, um, with depression, with mental health issues, if she makes a call, it might take all of her energy to make that first call. And if she gets a closed door, um, it, it, she might not have the energy or strength to make another, um, so opportunities to, um, feel like there's gonna be help on the other end, um, for whatever call you make, I think is really important.

Speaker 4: (32:33)
And then of course, with, when we talk about mental health, we're, we're always thinking about stigma. Um, and then we want culturally competent caregivers. Uh, we know women from other cultures are who speak other languages, um, need support from, from people who understand that culture and even speak that language. And then of course, practical support the childcare, um, the, the support and the difference between, you know, do I get mental healthcare? If it's, if I have to pay a lot out of pocket or should I be using that money to, to pay my rent or keep the lights on? Um, it makes for some really difficult choices for moms. Um, but for a lot of women, especially who are struggling with mental, mental health, um, they tell us that they feel like they're drowning. So I think that whatever we do, the solution needs to feel like a life raft and not like a brick. Uh, we can't make it another chore for them.

Speaker 2: (33:28)
I like that. I like that visual a lot. Um, you know, a lot of moms have chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension that will contribute to the health of the baby. How, how do we, um, how do, how can we better support those moms?

Speaker 4: (33:45)
So Joan, you said the word chronic conditions. And I think that's a really key thing to remember is that we don't need to wait until a woman is pregnant or has a baby to, to talk about or care about her, her health. And so, um, in my opinion, we need to prioritize women's health in general, um, so that we are addressing these issues prior to pregnancy. And I like to use the, the analogy here of a, of a road trip, if we were gonna, if you and I were gonna go on a nine month long road trip, we would wanna make sure that our car was in good working order before we started. We don't want an oil leak. We don't want smoke coming outta the engine because we know that this car needs to make it for nine months. And then also we just care about women's health period, regardless if she's pregnant or not.

Speaker 2: (34:37)
I, I can't, um, I could say amen. I, I, I would, I, I often think about, yeah, you wouldn't, you wouldn't take a car on a nine month road trip, um, that was breaking down. And, uh, if you were going on a nine month road trip, you'd be planning it probably cause you'd have to take time off work. Uh, so you'd be planning it well in advance probably years in advance and thinking about those things well in advance, um, of the trip

Speaker 4: (35:01)
That's right.

Speaker 2: (35:03)
So this year, the healthy mom and baby competition has a track for children between 18 months and 12 years of age. Um, there are several areas such as childhood obesity and ACEs where Indiana has a poor has poor outcomes when looking across the nation and in comparison to the nation. Um, there's also a number of areas like regular preventative checkups and vaccinations that we're looking for solutions for. Um, what should people keep in mind when finding, looking at solutions for this group of kids?

Speaker 4: (35:37)
Okay. Yeah. When we're talking about kids, we need to remember that we, we just can't look at a child in isolation. This child's a part of a family. We need to consider what this family's going through. If this is a single parent household with, uh, several kids, um, mom's probably gonna be working at least one job. Uh, she's gonna have a lot of other responsibilities, especially if any of those children have chronic health conditions or concerns or trouble in school or all of the things that children drive us crazy with. Um, so they've got a lot going on, uh, families in general. And then, um, we also need to consider what this child's environment is like, you know, when we talk about obesity, um, where are they shopping for groceries? Is it at the local gas station, or is it a full service, grocery store?

Speaker 4: (36:25)
Are they, do they have access to fresh fruits and vegetables? Um, is the neighborhood a safe place to play outside or is this child, um, kept inside in an apartment because it's not safe to go out and really play in the neighborhood. Um, and then I also just want to mention that we can't really just talk about individual behaviors when we're talking about kids and families, um, because not all families have good options to choose from. So I would encourage everybody today to really look at this from a system perspective and not just at the individual level, we really also need to look upstream.

Speaker 2: (37:06)
So this competition is calling for solutions from entrepreneurs and others who may not have had healthcare experience. What is one thing from your point of view, these entrepreneurs should keep in mind when creating their solutions and I would open that to the entire panel.

Speaker 4: (37:32)
So I I'll start just, I would say to, we need to look at upstream approaches, midstream approaches and downstream approaches. We need to address them all. You might want thing to consider.

Speaker 3: (37:46)
I, I would second that I feel like with the women's fund, we see that if we aren't addressing the root issue of some of these, so the root cause of some of these issues, it's just going to continue to snowball. So, you know, I would consider that looking at the big picture and looking at what are some of the root causes of some of these big issues we're seeing and how can we start to address those go further? Like Erin said, upstream, uh, one of my favorite quotes is Bishop Desmond too, too saying we have to pull people out of the river, but at some point you have to go upstream and figure out why they're falling in. So I feel like if you can figure out how to go upstream, that's a really great thing to keep in mind for this

Speaker 2: (38:24)
Valerie or David, um, or Elizabeth. I don't know if you have answers to that question as well. Well,

Speaker 5: (38:34)
Go ahead, Elizabeth.

Speaker 4: (38:36)
Oh, thank you. I would just echo the other panelists too. And emphasize, yes, we can think of the individual in the context of a family. We can think of the family in the context of a community and we can think of, you know, the community and the context of a broader, um, system and culture. So keeping all of those pieces in mind, um, solutions are within all of those sort of concentric circles, I think.

Speaker 5: (39:09)
Well, I would just add, um, you know, I think, um, a lot of, um, those folks, um, that are developing like digital solutions applications, um, could really start to work, um, with mothers, um, at the community level to really find out, um, what might really work, um, what their needs are and create solutions around that. Um, I, I don't think, um, you know, digital, um, aspects have to be sort of one way. I think it can be, we can learn from the community, um, and really create, um, solutions that would really work for them that would work for mothers. Um, and I think that there's, uh, the worlds are like our oyster in terms of what could be created, um, that would support mothers, um, both, you know, um, while pregnant and, um, postpartum.

Speaker 2: (40:05)
Fantastic. I don't know, David, if you wanna close us out,

Speaker 6: (40:10)
I, I don't have much else to add that hasn't already been said. Um, you know, the one thing I'll I'll close with is, you know, the, the maternal mortality crisis in this country is not new. Um, it's, it's been around for decades. It's gotten worse over the last two years. Um, especially as, you know, um, women have been unable to seek out care. Um, and, and I think one silver lining of the last two years is really just renewed focus on this issue and really seeking to resolve it. There are a number of really great opportunities and policy solutions that can be implemented and are being implemented. Um, you know, it, it's definitely not, not a problem that's gonna be addressed with, with a bill it's, it's really gonna take, um, a village is gonna take all of our efforts to try to, uh, address all of the underlying root causes. But, um, you know, I, I'm optimistic, I'm more optimistic and hopeful about a path forward now than I have been. Um, there really is such a tremendous focus being placed on, on tackling this issue once and for all, um, and reversing the trend, the negative trend that we've seen over the last couple years.

Speaker 2: (41:20)
Well, thank you. And I want to thank our panelists. This was fantastic. It's wonderful to get the perspective at, uh, the state local and national level, uh, on many issues that affect women with that. I have the privilege of, uh, turning this over to Ethel massing, who is our innovation program leader, who will share more about this incredible competition.

Speaker 3: (41:45)
Well, thank you, Jill, and thank you to our panelist. I don't know about everybody else, but I just got chills today. Just hearing from everyone really talking about this problem. Um, again, like David said, this didn't happen overnight. Um, and it, a solution won't come overnight, but as we continue to work together, we can find real solutions to this issue. So with that, I am very pleased to officially launch our healthy mom and baby innovation competition. 3.04 2022. You'll show the next slide, please. So as in years pass, we're still interested in finding solutions that reduce maternal and infant mortality. However, this year, as Steven said, we're really expanding the competition to include mothers before, during and after pregnancy and their children up to age 12. And we're specifically interested in solutions for underrepresented members of those groups next.

Speaker 3: (42:47)
So as you can see on this slide, we have three tracks this year, four participants, and we're really interested in solutions that can close gaps in care and especially tackle chronic conditions. So again, as you see on the slide, you'll see conditions like diabetes, mental health, um, hypertension, asthma, epilepsy, autism, but we also know that Indiana mothers and children are behind in their preventive care and receiving vaccinations. So anything that again, can help close those gaps in care and help help get them those routine services would be excellent. Um, and, and you'll really see in track three, that's the biggest change in this year's competition that we're not just looking at mothers and infants. We're really looking at the whole family. And again, mothers, even before they're pregnant and their children up to age 12. And if you look at the next slide, you'll see our timeline for the competition.

Speaker 3: (43:49)
Um, the, we actually opened our application period on May 2nd. And thank you to those that have already submitted applications. We're excited to see those coming through already. This application period will be open until June 24th. And at that point, uh, we will have about seven semifinalists that will select, and we'll announce those on June 29th. And then we'll have a period where we spend some time working with those semifinalists on their final pitches. And then those semifinalists will present at our innovation competition on August 10th. Now that's gonna a hybrid event this year, so we will have an in person portion. Um, and if you're a participant who can't come in person, that's okay. That's why we have a hybrid event. And I know they're gonna drop the link to register for that event. The registration's already open as of today for that innovation competition. So if you wanna see those solutions, you can go ahead and register.

Speaker 3: (44:54)
So again, the semifinalists get selected. They present on August 10th. Um, then from those, we pick three to five finalists that we put through an extensive accelerator program between us and matter health. And those participants get a wealth of resources, again, both from matter. And from Parkview, I know last year, our participants got more than 50 hours of mentoring from Parkview providers, uh, including our, uh, facility services, biomed, um, purchasing, um, payer contracting, all of the above. Anybody that you need to talk to, you will have access to during that accelerator program, if you're chosen as a finalist. And then on November 10th, we'll have our final pitch day where we'll choose the final winner who has the opportunity to, uh, do a project and a pilot project with Parkview health. So again, why should you apply looking at this next slide? Uh, the prizes of the innovation competition include that opportunity to explore a pilot are partnership with Parkview, um, $10,000 of a cash reward and a one year global ma membership with matter. And I will say, you know, if you look at our 2020 winner of the innovation competition, candle it therapy, we are actually kicking off their research project next week that they work together on. So we're very excited about that. Um, new, a surgical who is the 2021 winner. We are currently in the development phase with their pilot project, and they'll be kicking off later this year. So really, really valuable experiences, uh, for both, uh, the finalists and then those who went, so who can apply.

Speaker 3: (46:45)
The simple answer is almost anyone. Um, really anyone with any kind of idea that can solve issues for our mothers and children are able to apply. You don't need a company. In fact, in 2020, we had a team from Parkview who came with just an idea and a 3d printed airway. And from the mentoring they got from us in matter, we've since launched a company with them and now they're act they're actually selling products. So you can look them up safe, sleep simulation, but you don't have a, you don't have to have a company to apply to this competition. We're looking for great ideas and we can help you with the rest. Um, it doesn't matter. You're located. You can be here in Indiana. You can be from Parkview health. You can be all the way across the globe in Ireland or India or Russia, where we've gotten comp competitors, uh, before also again, the accelerator and the other parts are a hybrid format.

Speaker 3: (47:46)
So don't let geography be the determiner, whether you apply because we will work with you no matter where you are. And, uh, I know Gina just popped up some more links there, and there are links in our website to the terms and conditions, if you're not sure, um, if you want some more information on the rules, but if I still haven't convinced you that you should apply yet, uh, I have a surprise guest for today's call and I actually made a call across the pond to Barry McCann from new surgical, newest surgical is the 2021 winner of the innovation competition. And they actually won the pitch competition as well. Uh, and like I said, we are currently working with them to develop their pilot project, but I have Barry on here to give you just some insight on, you know, what was it like to be part of this competition, Barry, and why should other people apply?

Speaker 7: (48:47)
Thanks, Ethel. Um, I'm delighted to, um, invited back, I suppose, to tell the tale of neurosurgical and, uh, I suppose our involvement with both Parkview and matter. Um, it's hard to believe that, you know, the, it was nearly a year ago that we had applied and, um, yeah, fast year, an lot went on in the meantime. And, um, I think from certainly from our point of view, um, getting this underway and, and having the, the whole competition process has been a huge plus for newer surgical. Um, I suppose to start off new entered this competition because our company is dedicated to innovating in maternal and infant health. And as far as I'm aware, this is the only global innovation competition run by a healthcare system that is focused in this space. And for us, that was really important. That was a major pull factor. Um, I suppose at neurosurgical, we've developed the, that the patented stereo C-section or tractor, which is gonna deliver safer outcomes through improved access and visualization joint surgery.

Speaker 7: (49:57)
So we wanted to get this message across and, and we wanted to show that it'll enable clinicians to safely deliver a baby, identify bleeds, uh, and prevent prolonged, uh, complications as well, winning this competition for us, certainly added, uh, further credibility to NEWA. And I think it'll do the same for any startup that's planning to apply. Um, the fact is really that, I suppose it's judged by both VCs and experts in maternal and infant. Um, so that further, uh, validates both the unmet need that any company is, is working on, but also the investment opportunity as well. Um, uh, our prize as, as I think you've kind of pointed out earlier was the pilot partnership with Parkview and then a year long membership with, um, with matter. And I hope both, um, of, of our partners agree that we're, we're certainly trying to make the most of this amazing opportunity.

Speaker 7: (50:55)
Um, you, you've kind of touched on Itel that we're using park, the Parkview partnership, uh, to conduct our human factor studies, which will be eventually it's part of our FDA submission. Uh, so that's activity that has to be conducted on us soil. So for an Irish company, it's amazing to have, um, this partnership with you guys over in the us. Uh, we've already spent three days working on site with your clinicians there. Um, and thanks to both you and Spencer for, I suppose, continuing continuously to work tirelessly, to arrange interviews and meetings with, with all of your experts there. Um, as you know, we're also currently planning both our second and third visits, um, back to, to visit onsite for further human factor testing. Um, then when it comes to matter, I suppose the benefits of the partnership, um, are very different to Parkview, but then extremely complimentary as well.

Speaker 7: (51:49)
So in a nutshell matter has provided our company with access to industry experts, uh, across the spectrum spectrum of healthcare and then all of that for free. Um, so again, a shout out to Sam and her team, um, you support supported us with every request. Um, and I think especially for an overseas company, it's been a massive help to introduce us to the right people in regulatory or reimbursement and even investors that are qualified to support us for our specific needs. Um, I think we, we definitely believe that the partnership with both Parkview and matter, um, could help springboard, um, I suppose their decision to get to market faster. Uh, and we're gonna try and make the most of the opportunity for the, for the remainder of the year as well. Um, uh, I'd like to finish maybe by just saying for everyone that's considering, uh, the opportunity and, and planning to apply.

Speaker 7: (52:46)
I would definitely say go for it. I think new surgical winning last year is real evidence that it doesn't matter where you are based in the world if, um, if you fit the bill for, for what they're looking for. And as Ethel mentioned, you know, that is pretty wide this year and you don't necessarily have to have a company. Um, I think absolutely go for it. Um, it can work and it'll certainly pay off for both you and your company and, and whatever technology you're developing going forward. Um, and then just lastly, if anyone wants to reach out to me, they'll easily find me on LinkedIn and I'd be happy to discuss, I suppose, our journey in greater detail, or if I can support anyone kind of, um, going forward. So thanks a million again,

Speaker 3: (53:27)
Thanks so much, Barry. And I know they dropped the link to new surgical. If you wanna find out more about them, uh, the link to their website is in the chat as well. So thank you, Mary. I hope, uh, that did it for everyone. Uh, we really enjoyed working with new surgical and we really hope to find another company like, like you this year. Um, so with that again, I wanna thank all of our panelists for a great afternoon of officially launching healthy mom and baby 3.0 competition. So with that, thank you. And we'll close out today's program. Have a great day.