Maternal Health Summit for Title X Staff: Opportunities to Strengthen Health Systems and Provide Preventive Health Services and Supports

The RHNTC invites Title X staff from grantee and subrecipient agencies to join us for the 2025 Maternal Health Summit for Title X Staff: Opportunities to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes Through Preventive Health Services and Supports on July 29 and 30, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Over 1.5 days, attendees will participate in interactive sessions designed to support and equip Title X organizations with strategies and actions to address maternal morbidity and mortality within their agencies and communities. Participants will also identify opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of the role of Title X agencies in improving maternal health outcomes.

Summit Objectives

By the end of the Summit, participants will be able to: 

• Describe how Title X agencies can address maternal health through partnerships that expand access to preventive health services
• Identify actions Title X agencies can take to improve maternal health outcomes in the populations they serve
• Identify resources to support Title X agencies and their staff to deliver quality preconception health, maternal morbidity and mortality prevention, fertility awareness, and infertility prevention services

For more information on the Summit, see the Agenda.

Day One Sessions

8:15–9:00 am | Breakfast, RHNTC case study video and networking

9:00–9:30 am | Welcome and introductions

9:30–10:45 am | Supporting Maternal Health Outcomes by Retaining and Re-Energizing Your Team

11:00–12:00 pm | Recognizing and Responding to Urgent Maternal Warning Signs

12:00–1:30 pm | Lunch and RHNTC case study video

1:30–2:30 pm | High Impact Practice Sets (HIPS) for Maternal Health in the Outpatient Setting, Enhancing Postpartum Care: Lessons from HIPS Mini-Grantees

2:45–3:45 pm | Action planning breakouts

3:45 - 4:00 pm | Day 1 wrap-up and reflections

Day Two Sessions

8:30–9:15 am | Breakfast and RHNTC case study video

9:15–9:30 am | Welcome

9:30–10:30 am | Title X and MCH Title V Programs: Level Setting and Opportunities for Collaboration

11:00–12:30 pm | Practicing Resilient Leadership to Support Maternal Health in Title X Settings

12:30–1:00 pm | Day 2 wrap-up, closing activity

Presenter Bios

Dr. Julie Rennecker, PhD, CEO & Chief Catalyst of Syzygy Teams, specializes in talent optimization and management strategies to improve team effectiveness, organizational agility, and employee well-being. A former nurse, Julie applies her expertise in organizational behavior to equip healthcare and technology leaders with strengths-based methods to build effective, resilient, human-friendly organizations.

Meg Sheahan, CNM, MPH, RHNTC Senior Technical Advisor, is a practicing certified nurse midwife and sexual and reproductive health specialist. Meg provides the Title X network with technical assistance in program implementation and clinical services, with a special focus on high impact practices to improve maternal health outcomes. Meg has delivered clinical sexual and reproductive health and obstetrical services for nearly two decades, and directed the Title X family planning program in the US Virgin Islands from 2012 to 2020.

Brandie White, BS, Doula, Childbirth Educator, bio forthcoming.

Allison Finkenbinder, MSN, WHNP-BC, RHNTC Senior Clinical Consultant, has worked as a sexual and reproductive health clinician since 2009, with a focus on STI and HIV prevention, family planning, and contraceptive care. Allison has provided training and technical assistance to clinical providers and health care organizations in the areas of STI and HIV prevention services—including PrEP and nPEP, DoxyPEP, syphilis screening and management, and prevention of congenital syphilis.

Laura Spicer, WHNP-C, joined MyAlly Health in Grand Forks, North Dakota as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in 2006, and now leads the organization as Executive Director. Laura is deeply committed to enhancing access to services, and continually explores innovative ways to improve the care and services MyAlly Health provides to its clients and the broader community.

Melette Baily, RN, Miami County Public Health, brings more than 20 years of dedicated service to Miami County Public Health in Troy, Ohio. With a decade of hands-on experience in public health and the prenatal clinic, Melette has spent the last 12 years as Clinic Coordinator, leading the prenatal, well-child, and reproductive health clinics.

Naomi Clemmons, MPH, MCH Senior Technical Advisor, RHNTC Maternal and Child Health Senior Technical Advisor, works closely with social and health care systems and community members to conduct assessments and support upstream strategic/action planning and quality improvement processes. Naomi provides training and technical assistance to state and federal initiatives to ensure a comprehensive approach to systems improvement and integration—with the goal of accessible, quality, timely, services so clients and their families can reach their full potential. 

Brittany DeWitt, MPH, is Family Planning Unit Director for the New York State (NYS) Family Planning Program in the Bureau of Perinatal, Reproductive, and Sexual Health; and co-lead for the Women’s Health Domain Title V Workgroup at the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH). Brittany has worked for Prevent Child Abuse NY on curriculum and training and as a nationally certified trainer for the Protective Factors Framework. As a Peace Corps Volunteer community health specialist in Mongolia from 2013 to 2015, Brittany developed and coordinated adolescent health and chronic disease prevention activities.

Mo Sook Park is the founder of i-D Leadership Consulting, a boutique firm seeking to build the capacity of mission-driven organizations and individuals to adapt and navigate complexity. Mo also serves as faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

There is no registration fee to attend the Maternal Health Summit. However, participants will incur travel and lodging expenses. A limited number of travel scholarships are available to agencies unable to cover these costs. The RHNTC will provide a fixed $1,000 travel reimbursement for up to two individuals per agency to help offset Summit-related expenses. To apply for a travel scholarship, please email us at rhntc@jsi.org by May 30, 2025; we will follow up with you directly. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to fund availability. The RHNTC will pay travel scholarships directly to the agency, not to individual attendees.

The RHNTC will offer lodging at The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot (Summit venue) at a discounted rate. Room reservations for The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot may be canceled up until July 25, 2025.

Hotel information: The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot is located at 501 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130. Check-in is at 4:00 p.m. and check-out is at 11:00 a.m. A credit card will be required upon check-in to cover any incidental or personal charges to the room. 

Air and ground travel.  The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot is located in downtown New Orleans, about 15–20 minutes (13 miles) from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). Attendees can reach the hotel via taxi, rideshare services, or airport shuttles. Please note that the hotel does not provide shuttle service, so we recommend planning your ground transportation in advance.

Meals. Breakfast will be provided on days one and two of the Maternal Health Summit; lunch will be provided on day one. In addition, light snacks and beverages will be available during some scheduled break times.

The RHNTC will follow CDC's Respiratory Guidance for the Summit. Attendees are encouraged to mask when traveling to and from the Summit. The RHNTC will provide high-quality masks during the Summit for those who choose to wear them.