About Us
We have a long history and a long way to go…
Data indicates Minnesota has relatively strong overall maternal and infant health outcomes. Unfortunately, in every perinatal measure, women and infants of color and American Indian women and their infants are disproportionally burdened.
Join our journey to improve health care outcomes and reduce disparities in Minnesota and beyond.
Through the MNPQC, MPO strives to bring together key stakeholders from around the state to improve communication, dissemination of information, and improve perinatal health outcomes.
Minnesota Perinatal Organization (MPO) was founded in 1974 as a multidisciplinary association of individuals and organizations dedicated to improving perinatal health. We provide up-to-date information on perinatal care practices, services, and technological advancements and a great opportunity to network with professionals from the region. Our Mission is to optimize perinatal health in Minnesota through education. MPO co-founded the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) in conjunction with the Minnesota Department of Health. As a premier provider of perinatal healthcare education, MPO brings together doctors, clinics, public health, and hospital nurses, midwives, doulas, community organizations, and families and caregivers. Our unique multidisciplinary collaborations provide an opportunity for perinatal healthcare professionals from a variety of settings to meet and increase their knowledge and skills.
Supporting the delivery of person-centered care is a priority of the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative and this includes using inclusive language whenever possible. We recognize that not all birthing people identify as women or mothers and that both personal and cultural factors will influence a patient’s identity and communication preferences. We unequivocally support any individual’s right to self-determination with respect to their identity and believe these communication preferences should be honored.
Our aim is to use inclusive, person-centered language in our documents, while acknowledging that the rich diversity of the communities we serve makes it challenging to capture the nuance of every individual’s chosen identity. As such, where conventional language is used for simplicity and consistency, it is not meant to negate the experiences of people who do not identify with that language.
There are places in our documents where we use standard clinical language that is meant to capture specific health outcomes, which impacts public health and policy options related to pregnancy and birth. Examples of this are “maternal morbidity and mortality” and “maternal-infant dyad”. We recognize the shortcomings of this language but believe it does serve a purpose in the public health and policy sphere.
Lastly, we acknowledge that inclusive language is constantly evolving and are committed to periodically reevaluating the language we employ in our work and advocating for more person-centered language among the larger healthcare community.
Executive Branch
The Executive Branch provides content expertise and oversight to the Steering Committee and MNPQC initiative workgroups. They give direction to the organization, including sustainability, networking, developing partnerships, and operations.
Steering Committee
The MNPQC Steering Committee consists of representatives from healthcare organizations, professional leadership, and community stakeholders. Together they review current data, trends, and research on best practices to inform quality improvement initiatives. One of their key functions is promotion and support of quality improvement initiatives aimed at reducing inequities. The Steering Committee serves as a bi-directional communication source between the MNPQC and organizations around the state.
Perinatal Equity Committee
The MNPQC Equity Committee works closely with the Steering & Executive Committees to improve perinatal health by promoting community engagement. Members of the MNPQC Equity Committee will regularly meet with the initiative workgroups to provide guidance and support, helping to develop curriculum and education around racism, implicit bias, and accurate data collection.
Community Advisory Council
The Community Advisory Council (CAC) works to bring together patients, families, and community members through collaborative equity approaches that improve health outcomes for moms, families and babies in both the metro and rural Minnesota. The CAC will inform the MNPQC in their initiatives.
Data Committee
The Data Committee works to ensure metrics collected by MNPQC have the capability to be analyzed for patients and families of color and non-dominant cultures in Minnesota. This will help identify statistically significant disparities, provide insight for areas to watch, and allow us to develop initiatives to promote perinatal equity.
MOSTaRE Initiative Committee Members
EDHI: Timely Diagnosis Initiative Committee Members
Hypertension in Pregnancy Committee Members
Preterm Birth Prevention Committee Members
Education & Outreach Committee
The Education & Outreach Committee is comprised of statewide health care professionals and community stakeholders. They work diligently to provide current and clinically applicable information for prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care of the mother and infant, including hospital care, transition to home, and beyond.
MPO Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the governing body of the nonprofit. Board members set policy; the Executive Director/CEO is responsible for implementing that policy.
