Advancing Perinatal Care and Wellness: Building Awareness, Supporting Familes and Empowering Health Professionals

Veronica Simpkins, RN, MSN, IBCLC, WHNP Veronica Simpkins is a dedicated maternal health expert, nursing leader, and public health advocate with extensive experience in program development, curriculum design, and health policy advocacy. As a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), she brings a deep understanding of maternal and infant health disparities. Veronica is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Latched Support, Inc., a nonprofit committed to improving maternal and infant health outcomes for Black and Hispanic families. Under her leadership, Latched Support has served over 6,000 families annually, providing culturally responsive perinatal education, lactation support, and community-based doula training. Veronica is also the Co-Founder of A&V Innovations, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in maternal and infant health curriculum development, lactation training, and workforce capacity building. She has led the development of evidence-based training programs for healthcare providers, community health workers, and doulas, integrating trauma-informed care and culturally competent practices. Her expertise has supported numerous organizations in expanding access to equitable maternal health services. Passionate about advocacy, Veronica works to address systemic barriers in perinatal care, ensuring that birthing individuals receive quality support throughout their journey.

Ashley Green is a maternal and child health specialist, nonprofit leader, and expert in curriculum development and community-based programming. As the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Latched Support, Inc., Ashley has been instrumental in designing and implementing programs that promote positive birth experiences and improve postpartum outcomes. With a background as a Registered Nurse and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), she has trained hundreds of healthcare professionals, birth workers, and community advocates in breastfeeding support, perinatal education, and family-centered care. Ashley’s expertise extends beyond direct service through A&V Innovations, LLC, where she co-leads efforts to create evidence-based training programs tailored to maternal health professionals and community-based advocates. Her innovative approach to workforce development has strengthened the maternal health landscape by equipping professionals with the tools to support birthing families effectively. Through her leadership, Latched Support has made a measurable impact, including a 45% increase in breastfeeding confidence and a 95% participant satisfaction rate in training programs. Ashley is committed to empowering families and birth professionals by fostering culturally responsive and trauma-informed education, ensuring that all families—regardless of socioeconomic status—receive the care and support they need.

Keyonna M. Tompkins is a dedicated health professional specializing in maternal health and healthcare quality improvement, leveraging 16 years of experience. As the Maternal Health Program Manager for the South Side Healthy Community Organization (SSHCO), Keyonna is leading the development of an innovative maternal care model that integrates a community-based approach to support perinatal services with a strong focus on addressing disparities in maternal care. Her work centers on utilizing Community Health Workers to address Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), providing holistic resources, and facilitating seamless referrals to essential maternal services. Keyonna earned her master's degrees in public health and business administration from Walden University in 2011 and 2017, respectively, and a Bachelor's in Community Health from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign in 2006. Her research has focused on quality improvement, notably in a pilot study to enhance prenatal care and postpartum follow-up in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). She has presented at the Urban Health Initiative Summit at the University of Chicago (2025) on “Transforming Maternal Health: Collaborative Solutions for Equitable Care, and the Black Maternal Health Summit (2020), where her abstract, "Journey towards Healthy Mothers and Families," highlighted racial disparities in Infant Mortality rates (IMR), Maternal Mortality rates (MMR), and implicit bias in healthcare settings. Driven by a deep commitment to improving health outcomes in underserved communities, Keyonna’s work continues to focus on reducing racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality rates through strategic collaboration and innovative program development.

As the System Perinatal Safety Officer, Ms. Kulhanek is responsible for promoting safe, evidence-based, and highly reliable care for birthing people and their newborns within the PeaceHealth system of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. Ms. Kulhanek oversees the coordination and administration of perinatal safety programs in the Women’s and Children’s Services. Before joining PeaceHealth in May 2021, Michele was the Director of Safety and Quality for Maternal Infant Health at Washington State Hospital Association. In this role, she created, led, implemented, and achieved results to improve maternal and infant outcomes for all of Washington State’s birthing hospitals. Throughout her career, Ms. Kulhanek has extensive experience in the perinatal arena, working at the bedside and in nursing leadership in various settings, from a community hospital to a high-risk obstetrical academic medical center. She maintains certification in Obstetric Nurse Quality and Safety, Inpatient Obstetrics, and Electronic Fetal Monitoring through the National Certification Corporation (NCC). Michele is highly involved in her professional nursing association, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric & Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), serving as the elected Chair for AWHONN Washington, a mentor for the Emerging Leaders Program, and on national committees. She is a frequent speaker nationally on topics related to perinatal loss, trauma-informed care, perinatal safety, and recognizing and responding to human trafficking.

Margie works as a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist in a community hospital and as adjunct nursing faculty at Seattle Pacific University, dedicating over 3 decades to perinatal nursing with a passion for birthing families and the nurses who care for them. Margie has served as on several state and national AWHONN committees including AWHONN's Board of Directors. She is reviewer for the publication JOGNN, The State nurse leader for the Alliance for Innovation for Maternal Health (AIM),and serves a lead panel member for Washington State Maternal Mortality Review Panel. Margie has been married for 43 years, has 4 amazing children, 4 fantastic grandchildren and an Old English Bulldog.

Rebecca Vahle is the Founder and Executive Director of Family to Family Support Network (FFSN), a pro-education nonprofit organization. Rebecca has been teaching unique family-sensitive care to healthcare professionals for over 20 years. In 2004, she created the first and only hospital-based adoption support program and has defined best practice for supporting patients and families before, during, and after delivery involving an infant adoption placement. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, during which she advises the bipartisan Adoption Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Over the past two decades, Family to Family Support Network’s mission has expanded beyond adoption-sensitive care to address other diverse family structures, as well as to promote trauma-informed care. In 2023, FFSN launched the Respectful, Equitable Care Certification, emphasizing their commitment to respectful, neutral, compassionate care for all families. Their curriculum continues to evolve in response to emerging needs in perinatal healthcare.

Health care professionals navigate a uniquely complex emotional landscape, caring for unique patients while supporting families through moments of profound uncertainty, trauma, and grief. Over time, the emotional intensity of this work can take a toll, leading to compassion fatigue, moral distress, or burnout. This session explores how acknowledging and honoring the emotional impact of patient care can enhance resilience and preserve the sense of purpose that brings nurses to this work. Participants will gain insight into the cumulative effects of trauma and grief and explore practical strategies which include psychological debriefings, peer support and rituals for sustainable, heart-centered work. Through reflection, discussion, and tools rooted in emotional resilience, this session aims to nourish the caregiver while honoring the sacred practice of caring for patients.