One question we hear from past Step Up Together participants is: “We already did an Action Collaborative. Is there any reason to do another one?” In most cases, the answer is yes. The goal of Step Up Together has never been to conduct a single drill and call it done. Like any aspect of emergency
We’ve Participated Before. Should We Join Another Action Collaborative?
then updated June 23, 2026.
By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM
What’s In It for Hospitals? Why Join a Step Up Together Action Collaborative
then updated June 2, 2026.
By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM
When hospitals are invited to participate in a Step Up Together Action Collaborative, the first question is often practical: what’s in it for us? Hospitals are managing workforce shortages, high acuity, financial pressure, and competing quality priorities. Community birth transfer improvement may seem like one more thing to add to the list. But this work
New CMQCC Community Birth Transfer Toolkit Signals a Turning Point for Midwifery Integration
then updated March 20, 2026.
By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM
The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC) has released a major new resource: the CMQCC Community Birth Transfer Toolkit, designed to improve how hospitals, community midwives, and EMS teams work together when a transfer to a higher level of care is needed. Because California has long been a national leader in maternity care quality improvement,
Preparing the Drill Patient for Optimal Drill Fidelity
then updated December 16, 2025.
By Jennifer Johnson, CNM
On the day of your Step Up Together Drill, whether you’ve planned a Partial Transfer or Full Transfer Drill, the fidelity of the clinical scenario rests largely on the acting of the patient. This role should be held by someone who is very familiar with community birth, such as a midwife or student midwife, nurse
🚑❄️ A Snowstorm, a Hemorrhage, and an Incredibly Coordinated Team: Full Transfer Drill in Minneapolis
then updated May 28, 2026.
By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM
Last week, teams from Twin Cities Midwifery, Hennepin County EMS, and University of Minnesota Medicine Fairview Riverside came together for a Step Up Together Full Transfer Drill simulating a postpartum hemorrhage that began in the community, moved through EMS transport, and concluded with hospital-based emergency care. And we did it in a snowstorm! Under the
Step Up Together for PQCs: From Drills to Sustainable System Change
then updated December 3, 2025.
By Emily Bronson
Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) exist to turn evidence into action so maternal and infant health care gets safer and more equitable. The National Network of PQCs (NNPQC) and the CDC describe PQCs as state or multi-state networks that rapidly improve care through data-guided implementation. After more than a decade of focus on hospital-based preparedness, there
What It Really Means to Join a Step Up Together Action Collaborative
then updated August 28, 2025.
By Amy Romano, MBA, MSN, CNM, FACNM
If you’re considering joining a Step Up Together Action Collaborative—or encouraging your hospital or community partner to do so—you might be wondering: what does participation actually look like? The short answer: it’s a structured, time-limited commitment with real benefits for your team and your patients. The longer answer is that there’s a rhythm to the
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