New collaboration marks Irth’s 9th hospital partnership nationwide and centers parent-reported experiences in neonatal and infant quality improvement efforts in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Minn., 04/13/2026 — Narrative Nation Inc., the tech and media nonprofit behind the Irth App, today announced a new partnership with Children’s Minnesota through Irth’s Birth Without Bias™ Hospital Improvement Program, a multi-year collaboration designed to strengthen respectful, equitable, and family-centered care for families with infants receiving neonatal intensive care. Children’s Minnesota and Irth formally launched the partnership at a community-centered press conference at the health care system’s Minneapolis hospital on Monday, April 13th, 2026.
Irth® — as in birth, but without the “B” for bias — is a nonprofit digital platform where Black and brown parents can rate and review their prenatal, birthing, postpartum, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and pediatric care experiences. The platform turns community experiences into qualitative and quantitative insights that hospitals, providers, and payers can use to identify blind spots, strengthen what is working, and improve safety, trust, and patient experience.
Children’s Minnesota is Irth’s second hospital partner in Minnesota and marks its 9th hospital partnership nationwide. The collaboration builds on Irth’s growing presence in the Twin Cities, which began with Hennepin Healthcare in 2024. Both partnerships are supported locally by GreenLight Fund Twin Cities. Together, Children’s Minnesota and Irth will gather and translate patient and family experience feedback into practical insights that complement ongoing quality improvement, patient safety, and health equity efforts.
“We’re on a mission to improve the care of infants across the country. When we center the lived experiences of Black and brown infants — who are disproportionately at higher risk of dying before their first birthday — we create the conditions for better, safer care for every baby,” said Kimberly Seals Allers, founder of Irth and executive director of Narrative Nation, who created Irth after her own birth experience. “A rising tide lifts all boats. Irth is here to shift the tide.”
The partnership comes as Minnesota continues to face stark maternal and infant health disparities, including inequities in preterm birth, low birthweight, infant mortality, and access to respectful, responsive care. For families with babies in the NICU, these gaps can be compounded by high-stress care environments, communication challenges, and barriers to feeling informed, included, and supported throughout their infant’s care journey.
For Children’s Minnesota, the collaboration reflects the reality that inequities do not end at delivery. Families often continue to face challenges related to communication, inclusion in care decisions, and emotional support throughout neonatal and infant care. As home to the largest neonatal program in Minnesota, Children’s Minnesota is uniquely positioned to help lead improvement efforts that center the experiences of families caring for the state’s most vulnerable infants.
“This partnership helps us translate what families experience at the bedside into action. By listening to parents, especially Black and brown birthers, and using their feedback to guide improvement, we can strengthen our communication, build trust, and deliver more equitable, family-centered care for every infant in the Children’s Minnesota NICU,” said Adriene Thornton, director of health equity at Children’s Minnesota.
Irth’s Birth Without Bias™ Hospital Improvement Program combines community engagement, independent review collection, qualitative and quantitative analysis, collaborative strategy development, and ongoing monitoring. By centering lived experience as actionable data, the program helps healthcare partners spot patterns, respond to gaps, and support measurable improvement in care experiences and outcomes.
“At GreenLight Fund Twin Cities, we identify critical gaps and barriers facing our community and bring in proven, high-impact solutions to help address them. Irth is a powerful example of that approach—elevating the lived experiences of Black and brown families and taking action to shift outcomes in partnership with local healthcare systems. We’re proud to support Irth’s work in the Twin Cities and see this partnership with Children’s Minnesota as a meaningful step toward more equitable, responsive care for families,” said Simone Hardeman-Jones, Executive Director of GreenLight Fund Twin Cities.
Parents and caregivers who have received care through Children’s Minnesota are encouraged to download the free Irth App and share their experiences. The app is available nationwide in the Apple App Store and Google Play and accepts reviews from parents, partners, doulas, nurses, hospital-based midwives, and birth workers.
About Narrative Nation / Irth
Narrative Nation is a nonprofit organization that develops narrative-centered technology and media to address racial disparities in maternal and infant health. Its flagship product, the Irth App, transforms community stories into data that drive transparency, accountability, and systems change in healthcare. For more information, visit www.IrthApp.com and follow @theIrthApp on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
About Children’s Minnesota
Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only one in Minnesota devoted exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system for more than 100 years, Children’s Minnesota offers more than 60 pediatric specialties through its two hospitals, multiple specialty centers and clinics throughout the metro area. The Kid Experts® at Children’s Minnesota are chosen by more families than any other pediatric health system in the region.
Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Instagram @childrensmn. Please visit childrensMN.org.
