Course Information
- Audience: All public health professionals working in nonprofits, healthcare, educational institutions, government and private sector
- Format: Webinar
- Date/Time: January 22nd, 2026 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET.
- Price: Free
- Length: 3 hours
- Credential(s) eligible for contact hours: Sponsored by New England Public Health Training Center (NEPHTC), a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) and/or Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) to receive up to 1 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Maximum advanced-level continuing education contact hours are 1. Provider ID: Event ID: .If you are not seeking a CHES/MCHES contact hours, if you complete the post-test and evaluation, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate will include the length of the course.
- Competencies: Community Dimensions of Practice Skill
- Learning Level: Awareness
- Companion Trainings: None
- Supplemental materials:Click here for additional details on the agenda and presenters
- Pre-requisites: None
About this Webinar
This workshop training will feature innovative and community-centered partnerships across Maine that are working to bridge service gaps and improve family, maternal, and child health outcomes. The focus of the presentations will be on improving social isolation, including in rural and underserved communities. Together, these examples will illustrate how Maine is weaving together policy, peer support, and technological innovation to strengthen family wellness across the state. The Maine Doula Coalition and The Maine Women's Lobby underscore how doula and childbirth education services foster social support, reduce isolation, and improve maternal mental health, with doulas serving as vital connectors in rural communities. The Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition spotlights how parent support groups build community resilience, improve parental confidence, enable peer relationships, foster long-term mutual support, and reduce loneliness. Maine Family Planning shares about their pilot of the Mammha smartphone app and how it improves access to perinatal mental health care and support. The app integrates screening, SMS check-ins, peer support, mindfulness tools, and telehealth counseling, delivering critical care via digital platforms.
Presentations
Maine Doula Coalition and Maine Women's Lobby: Community-Based Solutions to the Maternal Health Crisis: Doulas Improving Social Support for Birthing People ● Sarah Tewhey, Maine Doula Coalition ● LeAnne Dunham, Maine Doula Coalition ● Lily James, Maine Women's Lobby
Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition: From Isolation to Empowerment: How New Parent Support Groups Build Community and Confidence in Maine ● Moderator: Kara Kaikini, Maine State Breastfeeding Coalition ● Lulu Churchill, Nature's Hand Maine ● Sarah Hand, Bangor Public Health ● Emily Eastman, MaineHealth Center for Health Improvement ● Abby Pitts, Birth Roots
Maine Family Planning: Mammha: Using Technology to Bridge The Gap and Provide Critical Perinatal Mental Health Support ● Mathew Scease, Maine Family Planning
Learning Objectives
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Understand gaps in perinatal and maternal healthcare by exploring how doulas, childbirth education, and innovative community-based strategies can enhance social support and improve health outcomes.
- Identify community-based strategies to reduce social isolation and boost confidence among new parents, and outline steps to replicate or support similar models.
- Understand the risks of isolation, poverty, and limited access to health care faced byperinatal individuals in rural Maine, and their relationship to a successful smartphone‑based support app pilot.
Enrollment and Contact Hours
Select the Enroll button below to register for the course. If you have any trouble accessing the course, contact support@nephtc.org.
Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.This training was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $400,000 with 100% funded by HRSA/HHS and 0% funded by nongovernment source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
* Yale School of Public Health, Office of Public Health Practice, a New England Public Health Training Center partner, is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. All CHES credit inquiries are managed by YSPH
Registration
Select the Enroll Me button below to register for this recording. If you have any trouble accessing the recording, contact support@nephtc.org.
Acknowledgement: This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of award 2 UB6HP31685‐05‐00 “Public Health Training Centers.” The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.