On this episode of the Power of MoMMA’s Voices Podcast, Nicole speaks with Brace Gibson from the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative (CPCQC). Brace explains how her desire to make a difference in maternal health outcomes stems from her own lived experience with severe preeclampsia during her first pregnancy and her experience being compounded by the exceptional life circumstances of being 16 years old. She additionally experienced postpartum OCD and PTSD. Now, Brace serves as the Director of Policy and Engagement for the CPCQC.

The CPCQC has many initiatives to improve the maternal health outcomes in Colorado, and Brace explains some of them, specifically the Family Integration to Restore Trust Program, otherwise known as FIRST. She also explains the importance of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives, or PQCs.

Finally, Brace and Nicole chat about the MoMMA’s Voices’ Community of Learning and how it has benefitted the CPCQC.

“I'm never not amazed by the impact that lived experience integration has on patients, that it has on family members, providers, and care teams.”

“We're doing the work of addressing sources of care disparities through partnerships of care, and it's absolutely evident now that the role of the patient advocate can be leveraged to build alliances and facilitate shifts in practice and in culture.”

“It's my belief that PQCs are well positioned to amplify patient voices and to facilitate more equitable partnerships between patients and clinicians, to ultimately improve care and outcomes.”

“The community of learning sessions were incredibly rewarding. Sharing space with other lived experience experts and just having opportunities to learn with and from other PQCs, I found to be invaluable.”

About MoMMA's Voices
MoMMA’s (Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Advocates) Voices is the first-ever maternal health patient advocacy coalition established in 2018, to amplify the voices of people who have experienced childbirth complications or loss - especially those who have been historically marginalized - ensuring they are equipped and activated as partners with providers and researchers to improve maternal health outcomes.

This is a program of the Preeclampsia Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and is supported by a grant through Merck for Mothers. For more information, visit mommasvoices.org and preeclampsia.org.