Council Overview
The MOMS Maternal Health Leadership Council guides and advises the implementation of the MOMS program. These professionals are the community maternal health representatives serving the program’s target population across the state. Their experiences and perspectives in working with pregnant and postpartum women will help drive the strategic plan of the program as they consider needs assessments and addressing gaps in care. They will help provide oversight of the program by receiving regular reports from the demonstration project. The council will also provide input on the maternal health public education plan.
The council members with program staff, will connect partners in maternal health (such as the Maternal Mortality Review Committee and the Perinatal Quality Collaborative), convene stakeholders and coalesce efforts toward mutual goals within improving the maternal mortality and severe morbidity rates in Montana.
Leadership Council Resources
Dr. Tersh McCracken, Chair
MOMS Medical Director and OB/GYN at Billings Clinic
Ann Buss
Title V Director/Maternal & Child Health Supervisor at DPHHS
Tami Schoen
WIC, CPA at Hill County Public Health Department
Dr. Bardett Fausett
Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist and President/Medical Director at Origin Health
Dr. Jean-Pierre Pujol
Medical Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana
Lisa Troyer
Wellness Consultant, PacificSource
Mary LeMieux
Member Health Services Bureau Chief at Medicaid
Perinatal Behavioral Health/Meadowlark Initiative Project Director
Janie Quilici, LAC, LSWC
Perinatal Behavioral Health Counselor at Community Physicians Group
Jennifer Verhasselt, MS, LAC
Sr. Director of Residential and Peer Support Services, Rimrock
Olivia Riutta (
Outreach and Engagement Manager at MPCA
Jackie Muri, MSL, FACHE
Women’s & Children’s Services, Regional Sr. Director
SCL Health – St. Vincent’s/Intermountain Healthcare
Brie MacLaurin
Executive Director of Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
Jennifer Wagner, CPHQ
Rural Hospital Improvement Coordinator, Montana Hospital Association
Dr. Steve Williamson
Chief Medical Officer, Billings Area Indian Health Service
Tressie White
Program Director, Montana Healthcare Foundation
Dr. George Mulcaire-Jones
Clinical Advisor for MOMS and the Montana Perinatal Quality Collaborative
Amy Stiffarm, MPH (Aaniiih, Cree, Blackfeet)
Individual with lived experience and Indigenous Public Health PhD student
Mission Statement:
MOMS will improve maternal health across Montana through collaboration, data-driven decision making, promoting best practices and innovation, and addressing racial and rural disparities in care.
Vision Statement:
MOMS will improve maternal health to make Montana, the Last Best Place, also the First Best Place to have a baby.
Council Goals:
- Ensure continuous representation and collaboration of a diverse group of stakeholders, including but not limited to: state and local public health professionals; state Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC); the Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PQC); healthcare providers; payers, representatives of the legislature; the Montana Primary Care Association (MPCA), tribes and tribal organizations; consumers; community-based organizations; and state programs.
- Identify Montana-specific gaps in maternal health services by conducting ongoing needs assessments
Assist in developing a Montana-focused strategic plan that incorporates Montana’s 2020-2025 Title V/Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Needs Assessment outcomes to improve maternal health outcomes, address identified gaps and reflect strategies to translate knowledge and recommendations into practice. - Recommend and advance changes that will improve maternal health in Montana.
- Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) Member Public List
- Montana Maternal Mortality Review Committee Inaugural Meeting:
- REVIEW TO ACTION: Working Together to Prevent Maternal Mortality: www.reviewtoaction.org
- CDC ERASE Maternal Mortality: MMRIA and DVIII States Update
07/19/2022
Download Agenda
04/19/2022
Download Agenda
01/18/2022
Download Agenda
01/26/2021
Download Agenda
12/08/2020
Download Agenda
- Meeting Materials Packet
- 10272020 Approved Meeting Minutes
- Perinatal Risk Factors & Health Behaviors: MT Prams
- MT Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaboration (MPQC)
- MMRC Decision Brief
- Billings Clinic Update
- MOMS Year 1 Report
- MOMS Year 1 Evaluation
- Bi-Annual Survey Results
- Public Education Campaign Workplan
08/25/2020
Download Agenda
- Meeting Materials Packet
- 07282020 Approved Meeting Minutes
- Leadership Council Terms of Reference
- Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM)
- MOMS Needs Assessment- Barriers to Care
- SWOT Analysis 1- Substance Use Disorders
- SWOT Analysis 2- Access to Care
- SWOT Analysis 3- Domestic Situations
- SWOT Analysis 4- Provider Skill Decay
07/28/2020
Download Agenda
- 06232020 Approved Meeting Minutes
- Draft Terms of Reference
- MOMS Demonstration Project Summary
- University of Montana Research Projects
- Key Informants Assessment Interview Overview
- Title V/Maternal & Child Health Block Grant Fact Sheet
- Title V/Maternal & Child Health Block Grant Overview and Assessment Status Update
- DPHHS Updates on PQC, MMRIA and MMRC