Q&A with Dr. James Hill, TCHMB's New Obstetrics Committee Co-Chair

In June of 2021, TCHMB Executive Committee was joined by two new Co-chairs of the Obstetrics Committee, Gloria Delgado and Dr. James Hill. We spoke to Dr. Hill to learn more about his experiences as TCHMB Co-chairs so far and his visions for the future of TCHMB.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am currently the Division Chief for the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in San Antonio.  My interest in OB GYN started during the early years of medical school. Since completing my fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, I have worked in a number of rural and small community hospitals.  During that time period, I recognized that many hospitals were deficit in personnel and material resources critical to providing the necessary care for some of the most complicated cases.  I developed protocols and clinical guidelines for many of these hospitals. Years later, I was invited to join a workgroup of obstetricians, community physicians, maternal-fetal medicine physicians, neonatologists and epidemiologists to discuss the infrastructure for building a maternal and neonatal quality and safety regionalization system in Virginia. This is where my passion for improving maternal health took off.

How do you feel about joining the TCHMB executive committee?

I feel prepared. I have a special interest in quality improvement and I've been an active committee member on various quality improvement projects that have provided me with the experience needed and a better understanding for this position. I’m also excited to work with a number of experienced leaders and dedicated healthcare workers that are dedicated to improving the quality of care that we provide across the state of Texas and the opportunity to continue my efforts of reducing disparities, and maternal morbidity and mortality on a much broader level.

What do you hope to accomplish?

One of my main clinical and research interest is preeclampsia. And so I am excited that the TCHMB Executive approved the Obstetric committee’s most recent project proposal, titled Recognition and Response to Postpartum Preeclampsia in the Emergency Department.

This is a project that focuses on preeclampsia care in the emergency department. I hope to see that project move forward and implemented across the state of Texas.

What made you interested in the quality improvement aspect of healthcare?

The reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity has been and continues my career long passion.  As an African American provider caring for pregnant women, I have a unique perspective regarding healthcare disparities.  I have been very fortunate to have this opportunity, but many others who are minorities may not have.  I am most alarmed at the dismal survival rates for African American mothers and their infants across the United States and Texas.  Reading that women of color and black infants are dying at an alarming rate from preventable pregnancy-related complications is disturbing.  I have not quite figured things out yet, but I want to help.

What appealed to you about the TCHMB executive committee that made you want to join?

The executive committee has many folks who are extremely experienced and through the collaboration with community stakeholders have put together many projects and quality initiatives that I believe identify the correct priorities. I’ve seen the work they have produced, and listened to their discussions, to where I feel confident that the right messages are being delivered with the right focus to advance health care quality and patient safety for all Texas mothers and babies through the appropriate collaboration.

Have you got to do anything interesting during your time so far as chair?

I have enjoyed working with a number of the committee members over the past few weeks.  Namely, Dr. Davidson, the former Obstetric committee chair, who brings a tremendous amount of experience and guidance for my new position. The Texas AIM committee members have also been instrumental in putting together our postpartum project.  I would also like to give a loud shout out to Nagla Elerian, who has been the strong leader of this organization and helps to keep the pieces from falling apart.  Lastly, it has been great to have Gloria Delgado, as a co-chair.  She has an unwavering commitment and is a well-respected and knowledgeable nurse that will help make this position a positive experience.

What is the proudest accomplishment of your career?

While my life has exposed me to many career opportunities and occupations of interest, there have only been a few professions I have every seriously considered.  These are as follows:  military service, medicine, teaching and the clergy.

 I have always had a strong desire to have a career in the military.  My desire for a military career initially stemmed from romantic notions of what such service entailed.  These notions were replaced by a sincere need to feel as though I was doing my part in protecting that which I so fervently believe in, namely, our country and way of life.  With that though in mind and my desire to serve in the armed forces, I decided that West Point was the best place to start my training.  My outstanding 30-year career performance in the US Army has been a testament regarding my feelings about service to this country.

Things you are most excited about with your time on the TCHMB executive committee?

I’m most excited about having the support from the committee in working on the preeclampsia initiative in the emergency departments. This project is modeled after similar successful projects conducted in California, Florida and Illinois. I genuinely think this will allow us to improve care in not only the emergency departments, but also encourage collaboration with the OB units with a special emphasis on the care patients receive in the emergency departments.

Q&A with Gloria Delgado, TCHMB's New Obstetrics Committee Co-Chair

In June of 2021, TCHMB Executive Committee was joined by two new Co-chairs of the Obstetrics Committee, Gloria Delgado and Dr. James Hill. We spoke to Gloria Delgado to learn more about her experiences as TCHMB Co-chair so far and her visions for the future of TCHMB.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in Mexico where I developed an early interest in STEM subjects. These interests brought me to college in the United States where I initially planned on studying engineering, however, my passions led me to nursing school. Since then, I have gained 25 years of experience as an obstetrics nurse at The Hospitals of Providence and now the University Medical Center of El Paso.

How do you feel about joining the TCHMB executive committee?

It is challenging but exciting. Working on a program like [the Recognition and Response to Postpartum Preeclampsia in the Emergency Department project] on a state level is something that is new to me. Working with physicians on a first name basis takes a little bit to get used to but everyone at TCHMB has been so kind and helped me greatly. I’m especially excited to join the committee because the work we are doing directly impacts the entire state of Texas.

What do you hope to accomplish?

During my time here, I wish to both learn and help patients deal with the issues I see personally. One problem I see at the hospitals I work at is hypertension in the obstetrics unit. I hope to make it so that people dealing with hypertension can get medication and treatment quickly.

What made you interested in the quality improvement aspect of healthcare?

Quality improvement is something that is considered rather new in the obstetrics department. Compared to other aspects of medicine where quality improvement initiatives were implemented for the past 20 years, in obstetrics we just started 3-4 years ago. We are extremely new to the system so I wanted to learn as much as I can about quality improvement so that we can implement it into obstetrics units across the state.

What appealed to you about the TCHMB executive committee that made you want to join?

Ever since I was in nursing school more than 20 years ago, I’ve always heard that El Paso was behind compared to other cities in Texas for healthcare. Since then, I’ve asked myself why El Paso is behind when the city is just as capable and competitive as any other city. When I heard about the initiatives for TCHMB and its goal to improve healthcare for the entire state of Texas, I was extremely interested.

Have you got to do anything interesting during your time so far as chair?

Meeting all the people involved in TCHMB has been such a rewarding experience for me. During my career, I’ve usually been exposed to a power dynamic between the physicians and nurses where we’re not seen as equals. My time at TCHMB has allowed me to talk amongst physicians without fear of being undermined or not taken seriously. These moments have made me realize how fortunate I am to be a part of this collaborative.

What is the proudest accomplishment of your career?

As the Administrator of Women’s Services at the hospital I work at, I was extremely proud to see that our hospital was awarded the “no findings” level designation for the second time. Our whole team worked remarkably to earn this designation, and to be in a position of leadership during all this was certainly a highlight of my career.

Things you are most excited about with your time on the TCHMB executive committee?

I’m most excited to learn from everyone. I want to learn more about quality improvement and how I can implement it into my own hospital. Since I’m now a part of TCHMB, I can now also help neighboring hospitals that are facing similar issues. This opportunity to help on a broader scale is what excites me most.

Collecting, Stratifying and Understanding Race, Ethnicity and Language (REaL) Data in Healthcare

Please join us on October 22 from 12-1 p.m. CDT for the first in our series of free webinars on collecting, stratifying, and understanding race, ethnicity, and language data in healthcare. The goal of this first webinar is to provide a "farm to table" overview of REaL data collection and use. Future webinars will go into more depth into the different aspects of the process. Topics covered will include:

• The “life cycle” of REaL data in Texas hospitals from collection to use in reporting and visualizing maternal and infant health outcomes by race, ethnicity, and language

• Standards and processes for collecting accurate and complete REaL data

• Who at your institution needs to be involved to improve the collection and use of REaL data for quality improvement in maternal and infant health

The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB) is a multidisciplinary network made up of health professionals throughout the state. We are dedicated to the goal of reducing disparities in the health outcomes of mothers and babies in Texas.

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Continuing Medical Education:
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Texas Medical Association (TMA) through the joint providership of The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service is accredited by TMA to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Continuing Nursing Education:
The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service has awarded 1.00 contact hours of Continuing Nursing Education.

Certified in Public Health
Up to 1.00 CPH Recertification Credits may be earned at this event.

Licensed Professional Counselors:
Up to 1.00 LPC hours may be earned at this event.

Licensed Psychologists:
The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service is approved as a provider of professional development hours for licensed psychologists, per the Texas Administrative Code Rule §463.35 (f)(1). The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service has awarded 1.00 professional development hours.

Social Workers:
The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service, the continuing education provider, ensures that the education provided is directly related to the practice of social work; and that the individuals presenting the information have the necessary experience and knowledge in the topics presented. The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service has awarded 1.00 hours of credit.

Certificate of Attendance:
The Texas Department of State Health Services, Continuing Education Service has designated 1.00 hours for attendance.

Q&A with Dr. Patrick Ramsey, TCHMB Chief Medical Officer

In September of last year, Dr. Patrick Ramsey stepped down from his position as Vice Chair/Chair Elect of the TCHMB Executive Committee in order to serve in a staff role as TCHMB’s first ever Chief Medical Officer. It was a milestone for TCHMB, which launched in 2013 with strong leadership at the Executive Committee level but no one in the CMO role that has been so instrumental to the success of many of the nation’s more established perinatal quality collaboratives.

“Pat was an obvious choice,” says Dr. David Lakey, who helped launch TCHMB when he was Texas state health commissioner and now serves as a member of the Executive Committee. “He has a strong background in both research and quality improvement. He’s been with TCHMB for years, and he was already in a leadership role. And he has the vision and commitment to help take the Collaborative to the next level.”

In addition to his role as CMO, Ramsey is a Professor and Division Chief for Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. He is an active member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology, among other organizations. And he is an active researcher and educator, with numerous awards and accolades and more than 100 peer-reviewed papers in major journals. His research interests are clinical trials, prevention of preterm birth, reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality, and management of medical complications of pregnancy.

We spoke to Ramsey about his background, his path to the TCHMB, and his vision for its future.

From where do you hail and how did you end up in Texas?

I’m from Wisconsin originally.  I came here with my wife in 2009. She was a military Ob-Gyn and was assigned to a base in San Antonio. I went to a high-risk pregnancy practice, and then moved over to UT Health San Antonio.

What brought you to TCHMB?

I received an email through the Perinatal Advisory Council that there was an opening. At the time, I didn’t know a lot about TCHMB other than that it was the state perinatal quality collaborative. I knew that the California PQC had done a lot of amazing work, and thought it would be exciting to be involved at the ground level with something that could potentially become very important.

When did you get the QI bug?

I’ve always been interested, as a physician, in evidence-based practice, and in translating research into clinical practice. A lot of my past research has focused on how to prevent women from having a pre-term or recurrent pre-term delivery, and in how to optimize outcomes in women who do deliver preterm. That very naturally led to getting involved with quality improvement work at UT Health San Antonio. That in turn is what led me to the Data Committee on TCHMB.

Your position, Chief Medical Officer, is a new one for the Collaborative. Can you talk about that?

Many of us in the upper leadership of TCHMB came to the realization that the way we were doing things was not sustainable. If we wanted to have the same kind of impact that some of the other PQCs around the country have had, we needed to have a medical leader who could dedicate him or herself more fully to expanding the footprint and visibility of these initiatives. We couldn’t just depend on voluntary service, though that still plays a big role in the operations of the Collaborative. So we created the chief medical officer position.

That was a critical step to making sure we had a bigger impact in the state, and over time more visibility nationally. The even more critical change has been the integration with the RAC-PCR Alliance, which is the implementation arm on the ground. That merger really kicks us up in terms of the level of impact we can have.

Why is the merger so important?

For so many reasons. The RACs and PCRs are the conduit to the hospitals. They are the hospitals. Merging with them is what is going to allow us to implement QI initiatives at a truly state-wide level, which will allow us over time to have a measurable impact on outcomes for mothers and babies. At the same time, TCHMB as an entity has capacities they don’t, in terms of providing QI training, ongoing coordination of initiatives, and coordination of a diverse array of stakeholders from across the state. We have the same goal, but we have different strengths to bring to the table. We need to work together, and now we are.

Q&A with Dr. Catherine Eppes, TCHMB Chair

Dr. Catherine Eppes, the new chair of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB), has set herself two straightforward but challenging goals for the next two years. She would like to 1) help drive the establishment of a robust data infrastructure for hospitals to report and receive key quality improvement metrics, and 2) further strengthen the alliance between TCHMB and the Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Perinatal Care Region (PCR) Alliance.

“If we accomplish those two goals I will feel as though I have been successful,” says Eppes, who is a maternal fetal medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine and the Chief of Obstetrics for Ben Taub Hospital in Houston.

Eppes, who was selected as chair after serving for three years as co-chair of the Obstetrics Committee, received her MD from The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio and completed residency at Johns Hopkins. Her fellowship, and masters of public health, were received from Northwestern University. Her primary areas of focus are quality and safety and infectious diseases in pregnancy. She is currently the ACOG District XI (Texas) patient quality and safety chair, a member of the Texas fetal and infant review of HIV and Syphilis, and Faculty Medical Director of the TexasAIM initiative. She holds several grants with the CDC for influenza and HIV in pregnancy.

From where do you hail?

I was born in Maryland. My family moved to Texas when I was in junior high, and I did my undergraduate work at UT Austin. I moved away for medical school, residency and fellowship, and then came back here after my fellowship. I went directly to Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, which is the Harris County safety net hospital, and I’ve been at Ben Taub since.

Did you always know you wanted to be an OB-GYN?

I went to medical school thinking I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, but knew I wanted to be an OB-GYN by the end of medical school, and went to Northwestern University in Chicago for a fellowship in maternal and fetal medicine and a Masters in Public Health as well.

So it’s not an accident that you ended up with TCHMB, at the intersection of perinatal and public health?

I had some really amazing mentors at Northwestern, including Pat Garcia and Ann Borders (who would later be one of the keynote speakers at the 2019 TCHMB Summit). They were working not just on caring for women but on improving the systems that cared for (or in many cases didn’t care for) women. It was largely from watching those two women that I learned what kind of doctor I wanted to be.

How did you end up back in Texas?

I won the job lotto. I wanted to be back in Texas. Baylor College of Medicine is a major medical institution, operating at the highest levels of both research and clinical care. And Ben Taub, where I work, is the safety net hospital for Harris County.  We’re the hospital that cares for patients who are medically underserved, the majority of whom are not insured and many of whom are undocumented. It’s an amazing place.

How did you make your way to TCHMB?

After the 2016 election, I felt very strongly that I wanted to be more involved in improving maternal health in our state. Christina Davidson, who is a good friend, had been involved with TCHMB for a number of years at that point, and she encouraged me to apply. I joined in January of 2017 as part of the Data Committee. I subsequently became one of the co-chairs of the Obstetrics Committee.

Where do you think TCHMB is, in terms of its development as a PQC?

We are still young, but I think we are more like a teenager now. Our committees are beginning to work together on projects. We have been through a few cycles of leadership. We have integrated with the RACs and PCRs. We have hired a chief medical officer. We have embarked on a QI project, the Newborn Admission Temperature (NAT) project, that is going to be our first that is truly statewide.

In combination with the work that DSHS has done with TexasAIM, the state has come a long way in only a few years, and other states are watching us now.

What’s next?

A lot, but the biggest thing we need to build, in my opinion, is a good data infrastructure. With the RAC-PCR integration, and the levels of care designation requirements that hospitals engage in QI projects, it is realistic that we can implement projects that involve all 224 of the birthing hospitals in Texas. We are going to get close to that with the NAT project alone. But without a good data infrastructure, and the reporting that it would allow, we will be limited in the impact we can have. That’s the big goal for the next two years, to get to a point where we have a common data infrastructure, where hospitals are submitting to one place, not multiple different places, and we and they can begin to use that data to drive improvement.

What are the big challenges in setting up such an infrastructure?

The technical challenges are significant but surmountable. What system are we going to use? What metrics will we collect? How will our system integrate with electronic health records? Etc.

Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, is persuading the hospitals to share. They have legitimate concerns about privacy, about their outcomes being visible to others, and about it potentially being punitive. We need to create a culture of trust where data is not used punitively.

What do you mean by punitive here?

Neither TCHMB nor the state is interested in using outcomes data to punish hospitals or systems, or to draw invidious comparisons. That would be punitive. Our goal is to provide data to empower hospitals to improve outcomes for mothers and babies, which they all want to do. Everybody really cares so much about improving their own outcomes, and they don’t need to be shamed to be motivated to improve. But knowing where they are, vis a vis other hospitals, can be incredibly helpful. You may be an outlier without knowing it.

Anything else?

I am really excited about the equity work that our Community Health Committee is doing, where the goal is to add that lens to every project we do going forward. I think it will be a hard and emotional journey for a lot of folks, but I think it’s the right time and the right group of motivated people, so I’m excited to see where that goes.

How do you feel about being selected as chair of TCHMB?

Honored.

Webinar: Introduction to TCHMB’s Newborn Admission Temperature Initiative

TCHMB invites you to participate in an introductory webinar for the NAT initiative on March 24 from 3-4pm. This webinar will be the official launch of the project where we will be discussing more details about the initiative including the importance of tracking newborn admission temperature, the data measures, and techniques and strategies for data collection for the project. Please invite your NAT team members to participate in the webinar to learn more and prepare for the project.

When: Mar 24, 2021 03:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Introduction to TCHMB’s Newborn Admission Temperature Initiative

Register Now for this webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Meliha Salahuddin at nat@utsystem.edu.

Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies Welcomes New Leadership

Austin, TEXAS - The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB), Texas’s state perinatal quality collaborative, has named Dr. Catherine Eppes as Chair of its Executive Committee and Dr. Rashmin Savani as Vice Chair/Chair-Elect.

Stepping down as chair after a 2-year term is Dr. Michael Speer, Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. George Saade, Chief of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, will step down from the Executive Committee after serving for over 4 years in the roles of Chair and Past Chair.

“Dr Eppes and Dr. Savani are extraordinary physicians and long-time champions of maternal and infant health in Texas,” says Speer, who will continue to serve on the executive committee as Past Chair for the next two years. “I couldn’t be more confident in the future of TCHMB.”

Catherine Eppes, MD, MPH, is a Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician at Baylor College of Medicine and the Chief of Obstetrics for Ben Taub Hospital. She received her MD from The University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio and completed her obstetrics residency at Johns Hopkins. Her fellowship, and Masters of Public Health, were received from Northwestern University. She is currently the ACOG District XI (Texas) patient quality and safety chair, and TexasAIM Medical Director.  She holds several grants, including the maternal opioid misuse grant which is a collaborative grant between Texas Health and Human Services and Harris Health to improve the outcomes of women with substance use disorder. Prior to her selection as Chair, she served on the TCHMB Executive Committee as co-chair of the obstetrics committee.

“Texas has a lot of challenges when it comes to the health of its mothers and babies,” says Eppes. “We also have an extraordinary community of people dedicated to making things better. Under the leadership of Dr. Speer and his predecessor, Dr. George Saade, the Collaborative has been an important part of that larger community, and I look forward to carrying the mission forward.”

Rashmin Savani, MD, is Division Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and Associate Director of Pulmonary & Vascular Biology in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Sheffield and was a pediatric resident at Duke University Medical Center and a fellow in Neonatology and in Pulmonary Biology (1989-1991) at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center. His research focus has been on lung injury and development, including inflammation and angiogenesis. Prior to his selection as Vice Chair/Chair-Elect, he served on the TCHMB Executive Committee as co-chair of the neonatology committee.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to work collaboratively with leaders across Texas to improve the health of moms and babies in Texas,” says Savani. “It’s a privilege to be selected as vice chair.”

Former Vice Chair Dr. Patrick Ramsey, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, now serves in a staff role as TCHMB’s Chief Medical Officer.

The Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies is a multidisciplinary network made up of health professionals throughout the state. Its mission is to advance health care quality and patient safety for all Texas mothers and babies, through the collaboration of health and community stakeholders in the development of joint quality improvement (QI) initiatives, the advancement of data-driven best practices, and the promotion of education and training.

MMMRC and DSHS Joint Biennial Report

The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) and Department of State Health Services (DSHS) have jointly released their 2020 Biennial Report. The report contains DSHS and MMMRC findings and MMMRC recommendations to help reduce the incidence of pregnancy-related deaths and maternal morbidity in Texas.

Summary of Recommendations

• Increase access to comprehensive health services during pregnancy, the year after pregnancy, and throughout the preconception and interpregnancy periods to facilitate continuity of care, enable effective care transitions, promote safe birth spacing, and improve the lifelong health of women.

• Engage Black communities and apply health equity principles in the development of maternal and women’s health programs.

• Improve access to integrated behavioral health care from preconception through one-year postpartum for women with mental and substance use disorders.

• Improve statewide infrastructure and programs to address violence and intimate partner violence at the state and community levels.

• Implement statewide maternal health and safety initiatives to reduce preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.

• Foster supportive community environments and leverage programs and services that help women of childbearing age achieve their full health potential.

• Support coordination between emergency and maternal health services, and implement evidence-based, standardized protocols to identify and manage obstetric and postpartum emergencies.

• Improve postpartum care management and discharge education for patients and families.

• Continue and strengthen activities to increase public awareness and prevention.

• Support strategies to continuously improve maternal mortality investigation and case review processes.

The full report is available on the DSHS website.

Increasing Access to Healthcare Coverage for Uninsured, Postpartum Women in Texas

This report provides information on access to healthcare coverage during the postpartum period for underserved women, and provides recommendations for improving access to care, specifically through the Texas women’s health programs.

Download the Report

This report is a product of the Postpartum Access to Healthcare (PATH) Project, a study of the system and experience of care during the postpartum period for underserved women in Central Texas. PATH is a project of the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies (TCHMB), the state perinatal quality collaborative, and is funded by the St. David’s Foundation.

Data sources for the PATH project and this report include interviews with 32 pregnant/postpartum women and with 20 providers and clinic staff who serve this population. Each woman was interviewed up to three times (late prenatal, 1-2 weeks postpartum, and 4-6 weeks postpartum). Qualitative interview data were supplemented with available quantitative data on Texas’ women’s health programs sourced from publicly-available Texas state agency documents. Participant recruitment was conducted in partnership with two large Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) systems in central Texas.

This study identified three key areas for action to increase access to public healthcare coverage for underserved women:

1. Close the information gaps among women, providers, and advocates regarding the Texas Family Planning Program and Healthy Texas Women and encourage provider participation.

2. Improve processes to facilitate women’s transition between Medicaid for Pregnant Women and Healthy Texas Women.

3. Bolster the Texas Family Planning Program to expand its reach and scale its impact.

Letter from the Chair and Executive Sponsor

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Our thoughts are with you and your families as you do your best to weather the COVID-19 crisis. 

Like so many organizations, the Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies has been engaged in a conversation about how to stay true to our commitments while adapting to the realities of a health care system that has had to shift priorities in ways we couldn’t have anticipated even two months ago. 

In light of this new reality, we will continue with our current quality improvement programs, but will shift deadlines, expectations, and metrics as needed. The leadership and committees will continue to meet, but will do so remotely and in some cases less often. We will continue to communicate about our initiatives through our newsletter and on social media, but will do so less frequently than before. We will also post perinatal-specific resources on dealing with COVID-19 on our website. 

Paid staff at UT System will continue to dedicate their time to TCHMB as before, but much of the clinical leadership on the committees and in the hospitals and clinics may not be able to dedicate as much time as they were prior. And we will all continue to adapt as the situation changes.

Stay safe, and please reach out with questions and suggestions.

Sincerely,

Michael E. Speer, MD
Chair, Texas Collaborative for Healthy Mothers and Babies

David Lakey, MD
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, The University of Texas System