January/February 2013

FROM THE PRESIDENT

By Stephanie Birch, RNC, MPH, MS, FNP

What an honor it has been for me to serve as your president and represent such an outstanding association. It has been a busy and productive two years and much has been accomplished as a result of the great work that the AMCHP staff and the board are doing. [more]

FROM THE CEO

Five Thoughts about the Future of State MCH Programs

By Mike R. Fraser, PhD CAE

As I have previously stated in Pulse columns, if I could have one wish granted in my lifetime it would be my wish for a crystal ball. While having a crystal ball would certainly take some of the fun out of life, in times like these, I am willing to pay that price. The uncertainty and brinksmanship here in Washington is formidable and it seems like we are constantly laying out new plans for potential futures given all that could change and all that might happen to state MCH programs and our partners. Don't get me wrong, we are always planning and adjusting those plans as we move our AMCHP work
forward. [more]

FEATURES

MCH Policy: What We Saw, What We Expect to See

By AMCHP Policy Staff (Brent Ewig, Carolyn McCoy, Carolyn Mullen & Karen VanLandeghem)

Budget Advocacy -- A Look Back
One, two, three DEFENSE. 2012 marked the year of the defensive lobbyist. AMCHP put our stake in the ground and defended the Title V MCH Services Block Grant, the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) and other public health programs against attacks from the left and from the right. We pounded the pavement alone and with organizations like the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the March of Dimes and the American Academy
of Pediatrics. We conducted 109 meetings asking Congress to preserve and sustain the Title V MCH Services Block Grant, avert sequestration through a balanced approach, and protect public health. We met members of the administration, including chief advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett, to discuss sequestration and its impact on state and local MCH. [more]

A Look Back at AMCHP Programs in 2011

By The AMCHP Program Team

2012 was another busy and fruitful year for AMCHP. We continued to support and engage state programs and advance the AMCHP mission and strategic goals by providing technical assistance, training, and resources to Title V programs. Throughout the year, AMCHP expanded its capacity to support systems of care for our child and adolescent health and women's and infant health program work; promote MCH best practices; and build new partnerships to improve MCH outcomes. AMCHP also continued to strengthen evaluation efforts across the organization supporting quality improvement to ensure that our work is relevant and timely for state Title V programs. A snapshot of key activities to support our strategic goals follows.[more]

AMCHP Programs: A Look Ahead to 2012

By The AMCHP Program Team

2013 is off to a great start for AMCHP, with many new, exciting plans and changes underway! One of the notable changes is our team has grown and we are happy to welcome new staff members to help support AMCHP strategic goals and objectives this year. A preview of what you can expect from AMCHP and how we will continue to support state Title V programs is highlighted below. Look for resources and staff expertise to support maternal health initiatives; new and evolving workforce and leadership development efforts; tools to support adolescent health, CYSHCN, and developmental disabilities; enhanced efforts to support technical assistance and capacity building across data systems within MCH programs; and continued emphasis on best practices, as well as emerging issues and top priorities within MCH. [more]

2012: The Year of National Initiatives to Improve Birth Outcomes

By Tegan Callahan
Program Manager, Women's and Infant Health

Since the inception of Title V of the Social Security Act, state and territorial programs have been working hard to address the causes of poor birth outcomes throughout the United States. Recently, national momentum has been growing to coordinate efforts addressing stagnating declines in infant mortality and persistent disparities among populations within the United States. Throughout 2012, several national initiatives were launched or enhanced to promote effective models to reduce infant mortality and build on long-standing state-level efforts to improve birth outcomes across our country. We are at a truly exciting and unprecedented time for maternal and child health, where we have the opportunity to accelerate our work, draw from each of these efforts, expand our partnerships and grow our evidence base so that we can realize our shared goal of healthy birth outcomes for all women and infants in the United States. [more]

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Looking for CDC Continuing Education Credit for AMCHP 2013?
Continuing education credit for the AMCHP 2013 Annual conference is available through the CDC Training and Continuing Education Online system only. You must complete the online evaluation by Mar. 18, 2013, to receive your continuing education credits or your certificate of completion. For more information, click here.

REAL LIFE STORY

What I Learned in My Time as a Family Scholar

By Carmen Boucher
2011-2012 Family Scholar

As a family scholar I had various experiences month to month. Each had its own theme and included new activities and new challenge to review what we had learned. Learning about myself as a leader and how that is perceived by others. This helped me understand how to communicate with different people that have the varied personalities and backgrounds. [more]

WHO'S NEW

New MCH Leaders

See a list of new MCH Leaders. [more]

AMCHP welcomes new staff. [more]

GET INVOLVED

Training Course In Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
MCHB and CDC are offering a Training Course in MCH Epidemiology as part of their ongoing effort to enhance the analytic capacity of state and local health agencies. The course is scheduled to take place May 28-Jun. 1 in Nashville, TN. Lodging, breakfast and lunch expenses will be covered. This national program is aimed primarily at professionals in state and local health agencies who have significant responsibility for collecting, processing, analyzing, and reporting maternal and child health data. Faculty working with state or local MCH departments also are eligible for the course. The course is geared to individuals with basic to intermediate skills in using statistical and epidemiologic methods, preferably in MCH or a related field. A limited number of scholarships for airfare are available. Completed applications must be submitted online by 5 p.m. EST on Mar. 1. [more]

NIH Conference on Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit
high blood glucose levels during pregnancy (especially during the third trimester of pregnancy). GDM is estimated to occur in 1 to 14 percent of U.S. pregnancies, affecting more than 200,000 women annually. It is one of the most common disorders in pregnancy and is associated with an increased risk of complications for the mother and child. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hosting a Consensus Development Conference, Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, on Mar. 4-6 on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. The conference is free and open to the public and continuing education credits are available. [more]

ARHP 50th Annual Reproductive Health Meeting: Call for Exhibitors
The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) 50th anniversary celebration of the Reproductive Health meeting will be taking place Sept. 19-21 in Denver, CO. This is a premier meeting in reproductive and sexual health and delivers the latest in research science, interactive, hands-on training, and take home points for immediate practice improvement. Exhibit space is now limited, but it is not too late. There is still time to take full advantage of early bird registration discount for the best possible rates and select booth placement in the exhibit hall. Those who make a reservation by Mar. 29, will receive a 10 percent discount off exhibitor package rates. [more]

DATA AND TRENDS

See statistics on AMCHP in 2012 here.

Resources

View and download AMCHP resources from 2012 here.

Board of Directors

Meet the AMCHP Board of Directors.

AMCHP Staff

Meet the AMCHP staff.

CALENDAR

National Conference on Bullying
Feb. 27-Mar. 1
Orlando, FL

SAHM Annual Meeting: Achieving Healthy Equity for Adolescents & Young Adults
Mar. 13-16
Atlanta, GA

National Council for Behavioral Health Conference
Apr. 8-10
Las Vegas, NV