Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond
Welcome to Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond. We invite you to tune in for a podcast focused on perinatal and community health. In an effort to raise awareness and start a conversation about perinatal health, our hosts have joined forces with doulas, midwives, nurses, lactation consultants, physicians and more from across North Carolina to share best practices, lived experiences, and lessons learned. Just Us explores real topics and dives into what has happened, what is happening, and what can happen next in the sexual and reproductive health and wellness space. Our goal is to learn and grow together in order to take care of ourselves and each other so that we can all live our healthiest lives. Thank you for being here. Let’s get started!
This project was made possible thanks to the funding, guidance and support from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services - Division of Public Health - Maternal Health Branch-Women, Infant and Community Wellness Section.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $10,216,885 with 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Episodes
73 episodes
Season 5, Episode 7: Training the Next Generation: The Impact of Learners in PSUD Care
Season 5, episode 7 of Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond emphasizes the necessity of perinatal substance use disorder education in training the next generation of healthcare providers. Mel Ramage, director of the NC PSUD Network, leads this di...
Season 5, Episode 6: Operationalizing Contingency Management in a Perinatal Setting
Season 5, episode 6 of Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond features two members of the Project CARA team who implement and operationalize the contingency management (CM) program at MAHEC in a perinatal setting. This is an effective, evidence-bas...
Season 5, Episode 5: Find Stability: Recovery Housing in Western NC
Season 5, episode 5 of Just Us: Before, Birth and Beyond features three addiction specialists in Western North Carolina. Erin Bowman, LCAS, LCSW, CCS; Zach White, LCAS, LCSW; and Blake Fagan, MD, discuss the current state of recovery housing in...
Season 5, Episode 4: Modernizing Methadone: A Perinatal Focus
Season 5, episode 4 of Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond features Dr. Nate Mullins, an Ob/Gyn physician, and Dr. Olivia Caron, PharmD, both providers at project CARA. Drs. Mullins and Caron dive deeply into the nuances of methadone in the era ...
Season 5, Episode 3: Project CARA: Group Care in Incarceration
Season 5, episode 3 of Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond features behavioral health therapists Caitlin Hettich and Jen Palin, as well as research associate and social worker Megan Williams. They discuss the importance of providing quality, non...
Season 5, Episode 2: Treating Opioid Use Disorder: Adolescent Focus
Season 5, episode 2 of the Just Us podcast places an emphasis on the treatment of substance use disorder in adolescents and young adults. Psychiatrist Leeallie Carter and family medicine physician Blake Fagan discuss the interactions between hu...
Season 5, Episode 1: Peer Support in Substance Use Disorder Treatment
We are excited to kick off season 5 of the Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond podcast with two peer support extraordinaries, Cassie York and Cassie Burleson. This episode dives deeply into what it means to be a peer support specialist, discussi...
Season 4, Episode 18: Trust and the Patient/Provider Relationship
In the latest Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond podcast, we dive into a critical topic: trust in healthcare.Brandon Romstadt (WNC Health Network) and Dr. Bryan Hodge (MAHEC) talk about how patients and providers work together-especially...
Season 4, Episode 17: Connecting with Your Provider about Abnormal Periods and Heavy Bleeding
Join Katlyn Moss and Dr. Suzanne Dixon for this special episode created with patients in mind! Sometimes it’s hard for patients to open up and discuss their health care needs and questions with their OB/GYN when it comes to symptoms such ...
Season 4: Episode 16: Maternal Sepsis
In this episode, our host Dr. Suzanne Dixon, talks to Dr. Bhaskari Burra, a MAHEC OB/GYN Fellow, about Sepsis. Sepsis is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, and in this episode our speakers will discuss how to recognize it, how...
Season 4, Episode 15: AWHONN Respectful Maternity Care
Join some of the Perinatal Nurse Outreach Coordinators from around North Carolina for this lively discussion of AWHONN’s Respectful Maternity Care initiative. You’ll learn what Respectful Maternity Care is, what it means for patients and ...
Season 4, Episode 14: Syphilis and Congenital Syphilis
In this episode, Katlyn Moss talks to Shannon Dowler, a Family Medicine physician about the recent increase in syphilis cases and what can be done to treat and prevent it. They will discuss why syphilis often goes undiagnosed and untreate...
Season 4, Episode 13: NC Health Information Exchange
Everything is connected in the digital age. How can this benefit patients who need to receive care outside of their regular provider network due to an unforeseen circumstance? In this episode, Katlyn Moss talks to Kim Webster of th...
Season 4, Episode 12: FindMyCare WNC (ITACC) Maternal Mental Health Filter
If you have ever used MAHEC’s FindMyCare WNC (aka ITACC) Map or Dashboard, you know what a great source of information it is to find care locations across the 18 westernmost counties. In this episode, Katlyn Moss talks to the team from NC...
Season 4, Episode 11: Menopause and Sexual Health
In this episode, Katlyn Moss talks to guest speakers Aimee Feste, CNM and Kiran Sigmon, MD, who will dive into the challenges and treatment options surrounding perimenopause and menopause, offering practical advice for healthcare providers and ...
Season 4, Episode 10: Eating Disorders in Pregnancy
In this episode, our guest speaker Leah Donatelli, LCMHCA, explores the profound impact of eating disorders on various aspects of a person’s life, particularly during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We discuss misconceptions, the importanc...
Season 4, Episode 9: Emerging Substances
Substance Use Disorder can affect anyone at any time, even during pregnancy.. Our friends at Project CARA, Carriedelle Fusco, Nurse Practitioner, and Olivia Caron, Pharmacist Practitioner, sat down with Thomas Baker, a Davidson Impact Fellow at...
Season 4, Episode 8: Breastfeeding in the Context of Substance Use Disorders
Breastfeeding can be an important part of a baby’s health and development. But what about families who are affected by substance use disorder? this episode, a partnership with Project CARA, Dr. Amy Marietta, MD, Family Medicine and Olivia...
Season 4, Episode 7: Paid Family Leave Policies
Paid family leave is not only good for the health and the wellness of employees and their families, but it also benefits the employers who offer it. Tina Sherman from the national maternal advocacy group MomsRising, explains why in this e...
Season 4, Episode 6: Family Medicine and Interprofessional Collaboration
In this episode, our co-host Dr. Amy Santin interviews Family Medicine champions from around North Carolina. During this episode, they discuss the critical issue of improving maternal health outcomes across the state, particularly during the fi...
Season 4, Episode 5: Centering Parenting
If you enjoyed our episode on Centering Pregnancy, you will want to listen to this episode. Our host Chama Woydak returns to interview Dr. MacNamara who shares insights into the Centering Parenting Program—a transformative approach to sup...
Season 4, Episode 4: Centering Pregnancy
Have you ever thought about how families can benefit from receiving care alongside others going through the same stages of pregnancy? Our host Chama Woydak talks to Amanda Brickhouse Murphy, a Certified Nurse Midwife at MAHEC, and Kelley ...
Season 4, Episode 3: Breastfeeding During Natural Disasters
When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina in the fall of 2024, many families were left without access to power and clean water for weeks or even months. This made commonplace tasks such as safely storing pumped breast milk nearly impossi...
Season 4, Episode 2: Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation
In this episode, Katlyn Moss talks to Emily Taylor from the AFE Foundation about the pregnancy complication of Amniotic Fluid Embolism, and how the AFE Foundation helps to support and educate medical professionals. Emily shares her own story ab...
Season 4, Episode 1: Babies Need Bottoms: WNC's Diaper Bank
We are proud to kick off Season 4 of our podcast by featuring an amazing community organization, Babies Need Bottoms. Katlyn Moss talks to Megan Lyons Leimena, from Babies Need Bottoms, a nonprofit diaper bank that serves all of Western North C...