Community Networks of Care – AMCHP Innovations Practice Summary

This practice brief describes Massachusetts’ statewide effort to strengthen community and facility networks of care for planned community births and hospital transfers. It connects community midwives, hospitals, EMS, public health agencies, regulators, and people with lived experience through high-fidelity drills, facilitated debriefs, and iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Site, regional, and state activities build trust, clarify roles, improve communication, align regulations, and identify practical changes to transfer protocols, records, equipment, and referral pathways. The model centers respectful, equitable care and provider well-being. Early results include stronger cross-disciplinary understanding, clearer responsibilities, repeat quality-improvement cycles, and statewide policy coordination for families statewide together sustainably.