Learning, Collaboration and Momentum: Highlights From the MC LAN Summit 

Published Sep 24, 2026

Established in 2018, the Missouri Maternal-Child Learning and Action Network brings together maternal and child health care leaders, clinical partners, community-based organizations, patients and other stakeholders from across the state. Aligning around an evidence-based agenda, members develop a shared commitment, energy and knowledge to improve health care for pregnant and postpartum people, infants and their families.  

LAN members meet regularly throughout the year, using their time together to bolster current initiatives and to brainstorm solutions to barriers and challenges related to maternal and infant health. They bring their knowledge of local and regional efforts, subject matter expertise and input to strengthen regional and statewide efforts and take what they learn from the group back to their respective communities and colleagues, elevating the collective impact of improvement efforts.  

The 2026 MC LAN Summit brought this group together for several days of learning, collaboration and connection at its annual in-person convening. More than just a meeting, the summit served as a space for participants to strengthen relationships, exchange ideas and identify actionable next steps for state agencies, health care organizations and community partners. Attendees also took time to celebrate the progress that has been made through collective efforts and to recharge alongside colleagues who share a commitment to improving maternal and child health. 

Driving Action Through the LAN

When LAN members identify a topic for discussion, it’s with an eye toward action. Often, central questions are explored, like:  

• What are the challenges or barriers LAN members are experiencing?  
• Who’s working on this already? 
• What can the LAN or a LAN partner take on in the next year to positively impact this issue or topic?  

Additionally, these topics often carry forward through months or years, involving LAN members along the way, from the identification of a challenge to ideation and designing solutions, dissemination and evaluation.  

The Ask Me 5 campaign is one such topic, a concept originally proposed by the Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Board to the LAN in 2023 in response to recurring themes in maternal mortality. Serving as an advisory group, the LAN provided input to the MO PQC on the structure of the campaign in early 2024, with additional feedback and input on campaign design through 2024 and 2025. When the campaign launched in spring 2025, all LAN members were asked to take the Ask Me 5 pledge, and many have been featured in provider- and patient-facing educational videos for the campaign along the way. In early 2026, a number of MC LAN members were asked to champion the campaign by serving as Ask Me 5 Ambassadors. Most recently, at the 2026 summit, early results from the Ask Me 5 evaluation were shared with LAN members, and opportunities for expanding the campaign were explored.  

Addressing Key Priorities Through Quality Improvement

A central focus of this year’s summit was the ongoing quality improvement work taking place throughout Missouri. Participants heard updates on MO PQC initiatives aimed at improving mental health care, advancing the goals of Project STORK — a maternal SUD peer pilot program —  and strengthening efforts to address neonatal encephalopathy. These projects highlighted the power of collaboration and quality improvement strategies to support better health outcomes for Missouri mothers, infants and families. 

The summit also provided opportunities to discuss several timely priorities facing health care systems and communities. In the breakout sessions, LAN members contributed ideas to strengthen Missouri’s maternal health care workforce, increase breastfeeding support, improve the recognition and treatment of sepsis, and address vaccination rates. Through presentations and discussions, attendees shared insights into emerging challenges and promising practices that are helping drive progress in these areas.  

Updates From Statewide Initiatives

Participants received updates on the Missouri Collaboration for Clinical Community Integration in Maternal Health, learning about four pilot sites that are growing their clinical-community connections, as well as the second cohort of an in-hospital training program for doulas, which prepares doulas with hands-on learning and mentorship in health care settings.  

The next two presentations focused on data collection, specifically looking at the utilization of health care in the postpartum period under extended Medicaid coverage and the capabilities of the Missouri County Maternal and Child Health Risk Level Data Dashboard to identify regions that are at high-risk levels for clinical and social needs.  

The final presentation highlighted Missouri’s Notification of Pregnancy, a process that was jointly developed by MO HealthNet and the state’s managed care organizations to create a centralized way to identify pregnancies and connect families to services in a timely and efficient manner. These presentations and the resulting discussions reinforced the importance of maintaining strong connections across organizations and sectors to advance shared goals and expand the impact of ongoing work. 

Elevating the Voices of Patient and Family Partners

One of the most meaningful components of the summit was the opportunity to hear directly from MO PQC’s Patient Family Partners. The PFPs are individuals with lived experience relevant to pregnancy and postpartum health care. With four new PFPs recently joining the LAN, this session provided an opportunity for members to get to know the patient voices in the room, as well as to reflect on the importance of lived experience when developing care practices.  

Their session provided powerful perspectives on navigating maternal and infant care experiences — such as long distances to OB care, bias against moms with SUD and the challenges of a NICU birth — and underscored the importance of incorporating lived experience into quality improvement efforts. 

Through personal stories and thoughtful discussion, PFPs reminded attendees that meaningful change happens when patients and families are engaged as true partners. Their contributions highlighted the lasting impact that patient-centered approaches can have on health care systems, programs and outcomes. 

Building Connections and Celebrating Successes

While learning and collaboration were at the heart of the summit, participants also had opportunities to connect in more informal settings. Attendees enjoyed a welcome reception, a visit to a local winery, and a yoga session that offered a chance to relax and recharge between meetings and presentations. 

These activities helped strengthen relationships among participants and created space for networking, reflection and celebration. The summit also recognized leadership transitions within the LAN and welcomed new co-chairs who will help guide the network’s work moving forward. Sue Kendig, J.D., WHNP-BC, will serve as maternal co-chair, and Anjali Anders will continue to serve her second term as infant co-chair.

 

Looking Ahead

As the summit concluded, attendees reflected on the progress that has been achieved through partnership and shared commitment. Participants identified opportunities to continue advancing quality improvement efforts, strengthen collaboration across organizations and address emerging priorities affecting Missouri families. 

The conversations and connections established during the summit will help shape the LAN’s work in the months ahead. With renewed energy, strengthened partnerships and a shared vision for improvement, attendees left prepared to build on existing successes and continue working toward “Healthy Babies, Healthy Moms, Healthy Missouri.”