July/August 2013

FROM THE PRESIDENT

By Millie Jones, MPH

As many of you know, the future of Title V, the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant is being discussed as part of the national agenda on health reform. For well over three quarters of a century, Title V has advocated and supported the health and well- being of mothers, children, youth, including those with special health care needs, and families. I propose that the future of Title V is strong and a critical part of our nation’s commitment to the public’s health and well-being. [more]

FEATURES

Family Leadership Development as Part of Workforce and Leadership Development at AMCHP

By Sharron Corle, MS
Associate Director, MCH Leadership Development & Capacity Building, AMCHP

Jessica Teel, MS, CHES
Program Manager, Workforce & Leadership Development, AMCHP

Like many segments of the public health workforce, the MCH workforce is experiencing tremendous changes -- on-going budget cuts, accreditation, an aging workforce, implementation of health care reform, etc., -- bringing about the need for new skills, capacity and practice needs. At AMCHP, the Workforce and Leadership Development (WLD) team is committed to building the MCH leaders of tomorrow! [more]

Beyond Story Telling: Family Leadership at the National Level

By Kris Green
Autism and Parent Services Manager, Division of Public Health, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

I entered the world of MCH with the birth of two full-term sons followed by the birth of premature twin sons. Years of joys and challenges, beginning at birth, through developmental issues and life events eventually led to a professional paid parent role within a hospital. In the hospital setting, I promoted and implemented family-centered care from the maternity center/ neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to out-patient subspecialty services, surgery center, emergency room care, and bereavement services. Then an opportunity to work at the community level in a paid parent role on autism-related issues for the state of Alaska Title V program led to the role as a national representative for all MCH experiences. [more]

The Importance of Family Involvement in Title V

By Trish Thomas
Director of Diversity and Outreach, Family Voices

Leslie Carroll
IMPACT Project Director, Family Voices

Families are the core unit of our society and the constants in their children's lives; as such, they are pivotal in making any system work -- whether it is related to staying healthy, having fun, getting an education, eating healthy food, or any other activity that families do! [more]

The Family Voice: Important Then...Critical Now!

By Bonnie Strickland, PhD
Director, Division of Services for Children with Special Health Needs, Maternal and Child Health Bureau

In the summer of 1987, then Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service, Dr. C. Everett Koop, issued the landmark report entitled, Children with Special Health Care Needs: Campaign '87 -- Commitment to Family- Centered, Community Based, Coordinated Care. That report established the first national agenda to promote quality systems of services for children with special health care needs and their families. [more]

Families and Advocacy

By Carolyn Mullen
Associate Director, Government Affairs, AMCHP

A period of legislative stagnation permeates the air as temperatures rise and approval ratings plummet in Washington, DC. Hundreds of calls, e-mails and meetings were conducted during this period and to no avail. Traditional lobbyists are rubbing swollen feet, nursing bruised egos and raising their collective hands to heaven begging Congress to do something, anything productive. What will push these policymakers to the promised land of compromise? Families and their stories. [more]

Family Leadership Development: A State Snapshot

There are some really interesting programs and initiatives around family engagement and leadership development happening across the country. We invite you to take a closer look at a few of those here! [more]

The Opportunity to Celebrate Dad is Precious

By Greg Schell
Director, Washington State Fathers Network, Kindering

Malia Corde
Project Coordinator, NJ Parent to Parent, Statewide Parent Advocacy Network

In this article, AMCHP highlights two partners that are leading the way in building programs and resources to engage fathers of children with special needs. Historically, family participation and involvement in MCH programs has focused on mothers, children, and adolescents. Today, programs identify the integral and unique role fathers play in advocacy and the health of their family and community. [more]

Innovation Station Highlight: Practices in Family Leadership Development

By Kate Taft
Program Manager, Child Health, AMCHP

The AMCHP Innovation Station is any easy way to find emerging, promising and best practices in a wide variety of MCH topics, including family leadership development. Two examples of model practices in family involvement/leadership that can be found in Innovation Station are the New Jersey Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) Parent Leadership Development Project and the Rhode Island Pediatric Practice Enhancement Project (PPEP). [more]

GET INVOLVED

AMCHP-CDC Skills-Building Suite: Evidence-Based Practice: Moving Along the Continuum from Selection to Sustainability
Recent years have brought an increased focus on the value and necessity of investing in programs that demonstrate evidence of producing desired outcomes. To provide on-going support for “taking what works and applying it,” AMCHP, in partnership with Community Guide staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is thrilled to announce the AMCHP-CDC Skills-Building Suite: Evidence-Based Programs: Moving Along the Continuum from Selection to Sustainability. [more]

Webinar Series: Leading in Changing Times
AMCHP efforts to strengthen the capacity of the MCH community to engage in the leadership process recognize that leadership development is a process, not an event. The Leading in Changing Times Series is an initiative launched by AMCHP as part of our larger efforts to support a diverse, effective and competent workforce in state and territorial MCH programs. [more]

For more ways to get involved, click here.

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The AMCHP CEO Search Committee is making its final updates to the formal CEO job announcement. We expect to post the final job announcement on our website soon after the Labor Day holiday. Be sure to stay tuned for more information!

VIEW FROM WASHINGTON

MCH Leadership -- 10 Numbers that Will Shape the Future

By Brent Ewig, MHS
Director of Policy, AMCHP

Greetings from Washington where it’s hot, sticky, and Congress is on their traditional August recess. This means two main things: 1) most Washingtonians have evacuated our nation’s capital to seek solace in the mountains and beaches of this great land and, 2) we once again are facing a completely uncertain budget situation, with no prospect that the appropriations bill funding Title V and most other MCH programs will be passed by the Oct. 1 start of the 2014 fiscal year. At this moment there also is no serious work likely to reverse the second wave of sequestration and little prospect of a grand bargain to address our fiscal woes. [more]

REAL LIFE STORIES

Family Scholars Program Provides a National Perspective

By Lisa Wilson
Parents Let's Unite for Kids

Through my participation in the Family Scholars Program, I learned how the maternal and child health system, including Title V is administered. I gained valuable access to AMCHP resources and the experience of other MCH leaders, including the inspiring family leaders in my cohort. By realizing a national perspective, I also realized new local perspective and began to truly understand how the system in Montana functioned, allowing me to seize opportunities to take a leadership role in developing programs and supports for CYSHCN. [more]

SUCCESS STORIES

Paving the Way for Family Leaders

By Anna Cyr
Family Consultant, Maine Parent Federation

Twenty eight years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful, baby girl. As my husband and I basked in the joy of this new life, the beginning of our family, we had no idea that our lives were about to turn into a roller coaster ride of hospital stays, surgeries, intravenous infusions, and countless sleepless nights. We were told our precious daughter would probably not live to see her second birthday.[more]

MEMBER TO MEMBER

We asked members the following question: What does your role as the family delegate look like in your state?

By Ann Gionet
Health Program Associate, Connecticut Department of Public Health

The role of the Family Delegate in Connecticut follows closely Webster's definition of the word delegate, as "a person acting for another, as a representative." My efforts as the Connecticut Family Delegate support families in embracing their own roles as representative of other families during discussions around health care. [more]

By Angela Durand
Statewide Parent Consultant, Louisiana Children's Special Health Services

Being chosen as the AMCHP Family Delegate representing Louisiana is a significant personal honor for me. It has helped me tremendously by helping me to lead by example. In my state, my role as a Parent Consultant has always been about working with the parent component, guiding the parents to be strong parent leaders and offering them information to help them be the voice for families with whom they work with. [more]

By Martha-Jean Madison
Co-Director, NH Family Voices

In 1988, the New Hampshire Title V, CSHCN Program Special Medical Services, brought together a group of stakeholders, pediatricians, specialist, and policymakers to look at service delivery systems for children with special healthcare needs. For the first time an invitation was sent to parents who were utilizing these services. [more]

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