The Kentucky Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (KyMMM) Task Force and Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC), in partnership with AWHONN Kentucky, March of Dimes, Frontier Nursing University, KyCOMPASS, and the Kentucky Perinatal Association, are proud to host the 2026 Kentucky Symposium for Maternal and Infant Outcomes. This year’s theme, “Stronger Together: Connecting Communities for Maternal & Infant Well-Being,” reflects a shared commitment to collaborative, team-based care that strengthens systems and improves outcomes for birthing individuals and infants across the Commonwealth.

The Symposium is designed to provide cross-disciplinary education and foster collaboration among perinatal care providers, social service professionals, administrators, payers, researchers, policymakers, community organizations, and individuals with lived experience. The agenda includes keynote presentations, panel discussions, simulation-based learning, and community-focused sessions addressing Medicaid coverage across the perinatal period, rural obstetric service sustainability, maternal mental health and substance use disorder, hypertension, sepsis, neonatal and infant mortality trends, and respectful maternity care. Highlights include keynote sessions on translating national maternal health initiatives into community action and expanding access to care in rural Kentucky; and interactive high fidelity simulation labs in hypertension, postpartum hemorrhage, maternal overdose, and sepsis. Additional sessions focus on strengthening community connections, supporting families through coordinated care, and addressing emerging priorities such as maternal mental health, substance use disorder, and violence prevention.

The KyMMM Task Force expands outreach to community stakeholders and supports evidence-based strategies aligned with recommendations from the Kentucky Maternal Mortality Review Committee, while the KyPQC continues to lead statewide quality improvement initiatives in partnership with birthing hospitals. The Symposium will also feature an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding contributions from clinical, community, and nursing leaders, including honors from KyPQC, KyMMM, and Kentucky AWHONN.