POEM

The Advancing Compassionate Perinatal Behavioral Health Care Training is designed to strengthen Ohio’s response to perinatal behavioral health complications (PBHCs). Participants will gain practical tools to enhance screening practices, improve referral processes, and support continuity of care for pregnant and postpartum individuals.

This training is approved for 1.5 CEs by the Ohio CSWMFT Board and is ideal for professionals in clinical and community-based settings.

Register today at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/fO_M8yyJT2-DC-nIlsuPUg #/registration

✨ POEM Support Groups ✨

Pregnancy, postpartum, parenting—you’re not alone. 💛 Join POEM’s weekly peer support groups to connect, share, and heal with people who understand.

📅 Tap the link in bio to view the full schedule & register
💬 Free, confidential, and led by trained peer facilitators
🧡 Step into support—your mental health matters

Community, culture, and care. 💛

POEM was proud to table at the Ohio Black Expo this weekend to raise awareness about POEM Rise — a program created by and for Black moms and birthing persons. Through culturally matched peer support, care navigation, advocacy, education, and awareness, POEM Rise works to address gaps in perinatal mental health care while centering the unique experiences of Black families.

We were honored to connect with so many community members alongside our amazing partners Holistic Pregnancy Wellness, Wright’s Way Foundation, and ROOTT. Events like Ohio Black Expo remind us of the power of coming together to uplift health, wellness, and opportunity across our communities.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn more, share stories, and support maternal mental health. ✨

✨ POEM Support Groups ✨

Pregnancy, postpartum, parenting—you’re not alone. 💛 Join POEM’s weekly peer support groups to connect, share, and heal with people who understand.

📅 Tap the link in bio to view the full schedule & register
💬 Free, confidential, and led by trained peer facilitators
🧡 Step into support—your mental health matters

Black moms and birthing people deserve spaces created for healing, honesty, and community. 🤍

Be Well: Sacred Circles of Healing & Wellness is a supportive space for Black moms in Ohio who are pregnant or up to two years postpartum. Led by Black experts with lived experience, these gatherings are designed to help participants heal, connect, and thrive.

Presented by Ohio Women's Alliance in partnership with POEM Rise for Black Moms.

Register here: https://www.ohiowomensalliance.org/sacred-circles

🎤 Join POEM Program Director Hailee Childs on Project NICU tomorrow, Friday, May 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM. Yolanda Harris from Village of Healing will be discussing culturally responsive care and the importance of honoring lived experiences.

The conversation will be streamed live on Project NICU social media.

Last week, POEM Collective Impact Manager India Brown presented on a panel addressing the alarming rise in Black infant mortality in Hamilton County and the urgent need to center mothers in the conversation around infant survival.

As both a maternal health advocate and a mother who has experienced pregnancy loss, India spoke to the reality that too many women face grief, isolation, and inadequate support during and after pregnancy. Her message was clear: supporting babies means supporting moms — emotionally, mentally, physically, and through strong community care systems.

The newly released data shows Black infants in Hamilton County were more than five times as likely to die before their first birthday in 2025, with a dramatic increase in sleep-related deaths among Black babies. These outcomes are unacceptable — and preventable.

POEM continues this work through advocacy, connection, and leadership within the Ohio Perinatal Behavioral Health Task Force, working alongside partners across the state to improve outcomes for Black mothers, babies, and families.

Now is the time to act. We invite healthcare providers, community leaders, policymakers, and neighbors to join us in advancing equitable maternal mental health support and birth outcomes across Ohio.

What an incredible day of movement, connection, remembrance, and community at the 3rd Annual Mom Day 5K/10K + Kiddo Dash on Mother's Day💛🏃🏽‍♀️Thank you to every runner, walker, volunteer, sponsor, family member, and supporter who showed up with compassion and purpose. Your presence mattered.

Together, we honored and supported those impacted by pregnancy and postpartum experiences, including miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, hyperemesis gravidarum, anxiety, depression, isolation, and more. Every step taken represented strength, solidarity, and the reminder that no one has to walk these journeys alone.

We are deeply grateful that this year’s proceeds benefited POEM Ohio (Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms), helping expand access to vital support, resources, referrals, and community for moms and birthing persons across Ohio.

Postpartum depression and related mental health conditions remain the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, impacting more than 30% of new moms and birthing persons. Events like this help break stigma, spark conversation, and build community care—one mile at a time.

Thank you to every runner, walker, volunteer, sponsor, family member, and supporter who showed up with compassion and purpose. Your presence mattered.