Featured 'My Story' testimonials provided by:

Would you like to share your story with us?

Share your personal journey (challenges, gaps in receiving care, and successes) with no expectations or limitations by completing out brief My Story-Submission Form.

The Missouri Maternal Health Action Network invites you to attend our Annual Summit to be held in person on September 27, in Columbia, Missouri.

Summit details are still under development. Additional information will be provided closer to the Summit date.

Are you or your organization interested in participating in a presentation or panel? Looking to increase awareness of your organizations resources by hosting a resource and exhibit table? For more information, contact Missouri Maternal Health Action Network. 

Planning Committee Meeting: July 9, 2024

Workgroup Meeting: August 20, 2024

Steering Committee Meeting: September 10, 2024

Annual Summit: September 27, 2024

Health Fair & Farmers Market: July 13, 2024

St. Louis Ice Cream Social: July 28, 2024

2024 Black Maternal Mental Health Summit: July 24-25, 2024

Birth - I - Con: August 24-25, 2024

Missouri Bootheel Healthy Start 26th Annual Low Birth Weight Conference: September 6, 2024

Creating Healthiest Missouri: September 17-19, 2024

1st Annual Region 7 Peer Summit: October 24-25, 2024

29th Annual International Meeting: November 14-17, 2024

The Missouri Maternal Health Action Network held its FFY 24 Quarter 3 meeting on June 18, 2024. The meeting comprised vital stakeholders and strategic partners such as organizations, service providers, and mothers with lived experience.

Meeting Topics:

Join or lead a core priority area workgroup by completing the workgroup sign up form.

WE ARE RECRUITING FOR FFY 2025

Workgroups establish intentional collaborations and strategic action plans to address the following:

Time Commitment:

WE ARE RECRUITING FOR FFY 2025

Mom Advocacy Representatives participate in various regional and statewide activities, including the Action Network’s Leadership and Self-Advocacy Academy. Together, they are charged with identifying gaps and barriers that prevent mothers affected by substance use from receiving needed services.

A selected Mom Advocacy Representative responsible for assisting in the coordination of regional and statewide activities and member recruitment for the Moms’ Advocacy Network. The Mom Advocacy Leader provides a collective voice for the Moms’ Advocacy Network and assists the Planning Committee in identifying critical points of interest to consider as it guides the work of the Action Network.

For more information, contact Missouri Maternal Health Action Network. 

An online interactive map is provided to help families in Missouri find out where their children can receive free meals this summer. The map shows sites where children must sit and eat the meal, but the map also shows certain rural sites that are designated as non-congregate multi-day meal pick-up sites.

More information about the Summer Food Service Program is available online at mo.gov/sfsp or by telephone at 888-435-1464 (toll-free).

The Citizens Memorial Hospital Addiction Recovery Program serves individuals struggling with Substance Use Disorder located in the southwest region of Missouri. Our team offers individualized, outpatient treatment programs through peer support, counseling, behavioral therapy, and medication-assisted treatment.

For more information, contact Christina Bravata.

Springfield-Greene County Health launched an evidence-based nurse home visiting program called Family Connects in late spring. Family Connects provides a free nurse home visit to all families with a newborn in Greene County. This is a voluntary program where a family is paired with a registered nurse and will receive a health assessment for mom and baby, screenings including mental health, education on caregiving, breastfeeding support, safe sleep, etc., as well as a robust plan for referrals to community resources.

For more information, contact Ruth Brown.

Birth-I-Con is an education event with in-person ticket options at Menorah Medical Center as well as virtual. Keynote speakers include Heidi Faith of Stillbirthday discussion Bereavement Care and Kristen Mason of Birth It Forward discussing respectful, trauma informed advocacy in the birth space. Numerous breakout sessions include Mayan pelvic massage, immediate breastfeeding support, SUD signs and symptoms, support group leader training, and more. Don't miss our United for Moms Panel! Learn more and register at https://birthitforward.org/birth-it-forward-conference/

Learn more and register at https://birthitforward.org/birth-it-forward-conference/

The Missouri Bootheel Healthy Start 26th Annual Low Birth Weight Conference has served as a catalyst to support National Infant Mortality Awareness Month and the disparities and risk factors associated with Low Birth Weight infants. National, Local, and Regional Presenters.

For more information, contact Cynthia Dean.

Have you marked your calendars yet? Our Ice Cream Social is just a month away! Don't miss out on unlimited ice cream, family activities, and more. Stay tuned for more details!

For more information, contact Nurses For Newborns or call 314-544-3422.

Have you heard? We're having a big health fair here at Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council in partnership with Santa Fe Neighborhood Assoc. , Center for Neighborhoods , and Our Healthy Jackson County ! FREE health screenings, food for participants, activities for the kids (bounce house, art, etc.) and you earn cash incentives for participating!

We're combining with our farmer's market and cannot WAIT for a fun-filled (and exhausting) day.

Join us for a groundbreaking professional development event at the Region 7 Peer Summit, where experts from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa come together to share insights, enhance skills, and build lasting connections.

Seize the chance for unparalleled growth as we assemble the region’s and nation’s brightest minds and most daring innovators. Participate in engaging discussions, acquire invaluable knowledge, and learn best practices that break through regional barriers.

Feel the strength of collaboration as we unite to tackle common challenges, capitalize on new opportunities, and drive collective success to unprecedented levels. Whether you’re an experienced professional or an emerging leader, the Peer Summit offers something for everyone, fostering a culture of continuous learning, inspiration, and excellence.

Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your career and shape its future. Join us at the Peer Summit to embark on a journey of growth, discovery, and limitless potential.

*Peer supervisors are welcome and encouraged to attend!

MO HealthNet Provider Trainings

MHD Education and Training provides virtual and in-person training to MO HealthNet providers and partners. We offer training on navigating provider resources, proper billing methods, procedures for claim filing via eMOMED, and other requested topics. 

For information regarding training for the Managed Care Health Plans, visit their site directly:

Search and connect to resources, community programs, and childhood services for families with young children under 5.

For more information, visit Family Resources.

Show-Me echo

Show-Me ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) uses ZOOM to connect interdisciplinary teams of experts with health professionals for collaboration and interactive case-based learning. There are 3 distinct ECHOs that address various issues of maternal and infant health. Participation is FREE and provides continuing education credits.

Missouri Telehealth Network /Show-Me Echo will host multiple Maternal/Infant focused ECHO topics over the next few weeks that might be of interest.

For more information or to register, visit showmeecho.org/schedule/.

Great resumes highlight your qualifications, making it quick and easy for employers to find what they are looking for. Sell your skills, experiences, and accomplishments, demonstrating you have what employers need for the job. Think about the employers you are targeting and how they will be more successful if they hire you. In order to focus on each employer and their job opening, plan to create multiple versions of your resume

Get everything you need for back to school at the Beyond the Backpack event on August 10! Students can get FREE backpacks filled with all their school supply needs for the year. 

Welcome to Life Launch website for those navigating the rough journey to adulthood without a roadmap.

This site celebrates those who face the uncertainties of grown-up life with courage and a touch of humor. Here, we unite in our shared experiences, offering support, wisdom, and a comforting shoulder to lean on. Whether you’re a late bloomer, an overachiever, or just someone trying to figure it all out, you’ll find a community ready to walk this unpredictable path together.

Join us as we embrace the chaos, share in the laughter and tears, and discover that while the guidebook to adulthood may not exist, our collective stories and advice can light the way forward.

Are you looking for child care in your Kansas county? Contact the listed number for a free list of licensed child care providers with openings in your county!

For more information, visit ks.childcareaware.org or call 877-678-3548.

You don’t have to shoulder life’s hardships alone. Reach out for help when you need it. There is hope.

For more information, visit Missouri 988 or call 988

Not feeling like yourself? Let's talk about it.

Call or text 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-MAMA).

Mobile Wellness, Saint Francis’s 45′ mobile healthcare coach, houses a state-of-the-art 3D mammography unit as its primary service offering. Mobile Wellness will travel the region 45-50 weeks of the year, removing barriers to care and ensuring residents across southeast Missouri have access to life-saving preventative breast cancer screenings, as well as other necessary healthcare services. 

Preventative screenings are covered by insurance, including Medicaid. Patients without insurance may qualify for a free screening through Dig for Life and the Saint Francis Foundation.

For more information and upcoming dates, visit Saint Francis Healthcare System.

The Family Conservancy provides resources designed to empower you to let decision makers at the local, state and federal level to improve access to high-quality early education.

The Family Conservancy believes that every child can reach their full potential when we invest in them and those who care for them. The first five years of a child’s life can determine emotional resilience, health outcomes, school readiness, and future career success.

For more information and upcoming dates, visit The Family Conservancy.

Access recorded webinars provided by the Metro Council of Community Behavioral Health Center for free! 

For more information, visit Mental Health KC.

First Call knows that for every person with Substance Use Disorder,
ten individuals around them are negatively impacted.

First Call goes beyond supporting the individual, providing resources for families and loved ones impacted by addiction. 

For more information, visit First Call KC.

Postpartum Support International (PSI) has expanded its commitment to give all families the best start possible by creating a new app for families and caregivers - Connect by PSI.  Technology has impacted how everyone consumes information and resources - allowing us to have a limitless amount of information at our fingertips, but not all of it is helpful. At PSI, we now offer a trustworthy space for parents and providers to access Perinatal Mental Health information and resources from their phone or tablet.

Connect by PSI gives you access to ALL of our essential help-seeker resources in an easy-to-navigate manner.

After downloading the app, you will have access to:

PSI offers over 50+ FREE and virtual support groups. 

Need a ride? MO HealthNet offers transportation to medical appointments for eligible participants. MTM provides the transportation. On their website, there is a great trifold that gives step-by-step instructions, as well as a video: https://buff.ly/3WPrJY7

When you're ready to be picked up from your medical appointment to go home, there are a few different ways you can contact MTM.

APP: Using the MTM Member Mobile App – Press “I’m Ready” button to activate will call pickup

SMS: If opted in for Text – after member has completed the first portion of their trip they receive text, “Thanks for riding with us! Reply READY when you are ready to be picked up”. Then member can respond “Ready” to text activate will call pickup

CALL: Call the established number for your health plan.

For more information, visit https://buff.ly/3KheGap.

Feeding Missouri is a coalition of the six Missouri Food Banks working to provide hunger relief to every county (and St. Louis City) in the state. Collectively, we distribute over 120 million pounds of food each year through a network of more than 1,500 community feeding programs.

Learn more about the services offered in your area. You can also search for a local food pantry in your community.

For more information, visit Feeding Missouri.

The CRIS Link makes accessing early childhood (prenatal to five) home visiting services easy for anyone in Missouri who needs it. It is a one-stop shop for anyone to make an early childhood home visiting referral in Missouri through one of five Regional CRIS Networks, depending on the needs and location of each family. Whether you are a home visiting provider, a medical professional, an educator, or a caregiver seeking services, you can make a referral for a family using the CRIS Link.

Select the family’s county using the CRIS Link below to find their Regional CRIS Network and referral form. Once a referral is submitted, the Regional CRIS Network will assign the referred family to a home visiting program based on the family’s needs and eligibility, and the program’s capacity.

         The assigned home visiting agency will then contact the family to tell them more about their program and offer services.

For more information, visit Children's Trust Fund.

Online screening is one of the quickest and easiest ways to determine whether you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition.

Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are real, common and treatable. And recovery is possible.

For more information, visit screening.mhanational.org.

As Missouri’s Early Care and Education Resource and Referral Network, United 4 Children provides resource and referral services to early care professionals, children, and families throughout Missouri. 

For more information, visit United 4 Children.

Share system updates and organizational news to be featured in the quarterly issue brief, or on the network website and Facebook page.