Turning Data Into Action at the Perinatal Symposium
Updated: 17 hours ago
CAPS & Maple City team members recently joined community partners at a regional Perinatal Symposium, sharing important findings and prevention strategies focused on infant and fetal loss.
Lisa Kelly, LCSW, MPH, is the co-founder and Executive Director of Mental Health Awareness of Michiana (MHAM), who hosted the event. Lisa shared, "We host the Perinatal Symposium annually as a way to educate the provider community about the importance of effective and culturally responsive care with perinatal families. For many families, having a baby is one of the most challenging times in their lives, especially if there are mental health or health complications. Our attendees love hearing about evidence based practices and the tremendous resources available in our community. We are delighted that CAPS-Maple City contributed to the conversation."
The presentation highlighted findings from reviewed 2024 infant death cases, where safe sleep was identified as a contributing factor in approximately 33–40% of cases reviewed. With safe sleep emerging as a key opportunity for prevention, the conversation focused on how families, caregivers, and community partners can work together to reduce risk.
This work is closely connected to CAPS & Maple City’s involvement in Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR), a collaborative process that examines fetal and infant losses to better understand contributing factors, identify gaps and barriers, and turn what is learned into opportunities for prevention and system improvement.
Team members shared strategies for helping all caregivers — including parents, grandparents, babysitters, and others — navigate real-life challenges such as exhaustion or impairment while maintaining safe sleep practices. The presentation also emphasized the importance of consistent community messaging, training those who work directly with families, and reducing barriers to safe sleep.
Approximately 73 people attended the symposium in person, creating an opportunity for professionals and organizations from across the region to learn, connect, and strengthen their shared approach to supporting families.
“Perinatal health and well-being are critical to the health of our entire community,” shared Rebecca Shetler Fast, CEO of CAPS & Maple City, who was among the presenting team members. “Supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and the early years lays the foundation for healthy, thriving children and stronger families. We are proud to be part of collaborative work that turns what we learn into meaningful action for families across our community.”
That commitment extends across CAPS & Maple City, from OB care, Centering Pregnancy, nutrition and maternal mental health services to Healthy Families, Nurturing Care Groups, FIMR, and our longstanding work as a founding partner of Building Strong Brains, Elkhart County’s Early Childhood Initiative.
“Sharing our findings wasn’t just about sharing numbers — it was about bringing light to real human stories,” reflected another CAPS & Maple City team member, Mandy Rice, who also presented at the event. “Together, we are building a more compassionate, united community that is truly making a difference for families across our region.”
For CAPS & Maple City, the work reflects an important commitment: learning from difficult outcomes, working alongside community partners, and turning data into action that helps babies and families thrive.
