Closing the Gap: Georgetown University Launches National Postpartum Systems of Care Repository
(April 9, 2026) — In the year following childbirth, many new parents experience a sharp decline in health care access and social support — a phenomenon often described by experts as the “postpartum cliff.” To combat this critical gap in the American healthcare system, the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH) at Georgetown University has launched the Postpartum Systems of Care Repository.
Led by John Richards, research professor and executive director of NCEMCH, the initiative serves as a centralized “tool for action” for health care clinicians, policymakers and community leaders. The repository contains over 5,000 curated resources designed to turn research into practical, lifesaving implementation. It is housed within Georgetown’s MCH Library, one of Georgetown University’s six special collections and a primary resource for the maternal and child health workforce.
Addressing a National Crisis
The United States continues to face a maternal mortality crisis, with a significant percentage of pregnancy-related deaths occurring in the postpartum period. Mental health conditions, drug overdoses and cardiac complications remain leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the months following delivery.
“The Postpartum Repository was built to help ensure that no postpartum person falls through the cracks of our healthcare system,” says Richards, the primary author of the project. “By organizing thousands of evidence-based tools, we are providing the infrastructure necessary to move from recognizing the problem to implementing sustainable, high-quality care for every family.”
Angela D. Thomas, DrPH, MPH, who leads Safe Babies, Safe Moms, an initiative led by MedStar Health focused on improving perinatal outcomes for mothers and infants, says the resources move beyond theory to fill a critical void by offering the specific resources necessary for systemic change.
“Front-line teams do not just need more information,” says Thomas.” They need actionable workflows, including warm handoffs, referral pathways, screening and follow-up protocols, and implementation guides. The Georgetown team has done important work by curating a repository that prioritizes practical ‘how-to’ resources, which can accelerate implementation and improve postpartum outcomes.”
A Framework for Action
The repository, funded by Merck for Mothers and the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, is built upon a unique three-factor framework designed to drive systemic change:
- A Knowledge Base: Providing the latest research on postpartum risks and solutions.
- Social Strategies and Tools: Offering practical guides, such as “warm handoff” protocols and implementation tool kits for clinic and community settings.
- Organizational and Political Will: Highlighting the advocacy and resource-allocation strategies needed to sustain postpartum health initiatives.
“It’s not enough to simply have the data,” Richards explains. “We need the organizational and political will to move these plans into action. This repository provides the social strategies and practical tools — like implementation tool kits — that help health departments and community organizations deliver on the promise of better care.”
A Georgetown Legacy of Specialized Knowledge
The launch of the repository marks a significant addition to the MCH Library. The library is a key component of NCEMCH, an organization that has spent over 40 years providing leadership and state-of-the-art resources to the maternal and child health community.
By housing this work at Georgetown, NCEMCH advances the Jesuit tradition of high-level scholarship in the service of others. The repository ensures that academic rigor is not an end in itself, but a tool directly applied to alleviating systemic inequities and addressing the most pressing health challenges facing families today.
“Through the MCH Library, we are preserving the history of maternal health, while simultaneously providing the tools for its future,” says Richards. “Our goal is to ensure that every clinician and policymaker in the country has the evidence they need at their fingertips to bridge the postpartum cliff and improve outcomes for mothers and infants nationwide.”
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