Following completion of this course, learners should be able to:
- Understand the difference between a birth doula and a postpartum doula.
- Understand what a doula does during the antepartum period versus postpartum.
- Identify birth doula actions that progress labor.
- Reveal how doulas can support clinical and community maternal health settings.
Alexa is the Founder and Executive Director of Granny's Birth Initiative (GBI), but also a nurse, doula, and fierce advocate for perinatal health for those in her community. Alexa invests in the outcomes of others by repeatedly answering the call to create alternative solutions.
The Viral Hepatitis Program (VHP) focuses on prevention and enhanced surveillance of adult hepatitis B, adult hepatitis C, and perinatal hepatitis C. It collaborates closely with the Reportable Disease Section and Immunizations Branch at the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) to address hepatitis-related public health needs. VHP emphasizes harm reduction and priorities the voices of individuals with lived experience, particularly people who inject drugs (PWID). The program works to rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks of acute hepatitis B and C. It also collects and analyzes surveillance data to inform interventions and support statewide elimination planning. Ultimately, VHP seeks to improve access to testing, treatment, and prevention services in communities disproportionately impacted by drug use.
Ms. Murphy received her bachelor’s from the University of Georgia in 2017. She continued her education at New York University in the School of Global Public Health. She earned her master’s in public health with a focus in Epidemiology, in May of 2020. Shortly after graduation, she joined Kentucky’s Department for Public Health in the Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning, working as a COVID-19 Data Epidemiologist. She then moved to Kentucky’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KYPQC) where her work focused on quality improvement projects. She currently serves as an epidemiologist in the Viral Hepatitis Program and coordinates perinatal hepatitis C work. She is passionate about leading impactful, data driven work aimed at lowering vertical transmission rates of hepatitis C and improving health outcomes for both mothers and their infants.
Katie Gardner, RN, BSN, is a public health nurse and health educator with 18 years of experience in clinical care, including harm reduction and infectious disease care and prevention. Katie currently serves on the board of the Kentucky Youth Health Network, which works to create public awareness of health risks and promote healthy outcomes for Kentucky youth. In her current role as Program Coordinator for the Viral Hepatitis Program at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Katie focuses on increasing hepatitis C education and care in communities most impacted by hepatitis C and the overdose epidemic.
A new offering by Dr. Jessica Young, the Medical Director of the Firefly program, Acudetox is a treatment method that involves placing acupuncture needles gently in the ear at specific points. The intervention can provide symptom relief, relax the nervous system, calm emotions, and support patients in their recovery.
Background : Vanderbilt has been caring for women with substance use disorder and their children since 2011. In 2020, the program received funds from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) model, in partnership with TennCare. This influx of support lead to the official launch of Firefly in 2021, an expanded, multi-disciplinary outpatient clinical program spanning OB/GYN, Pediatrics, & Psychiatry.
