... where leaders, researchers, and practitioners in maternal and child health share stories about policies and practices to promote the health of all families.

Engaging Diverse Stakeholders in Systems Change for CYSHCN Many community systems touch the lives of families of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). However, most who work within these systems have a very limited awareness of and knowledge about the challenges these families face on a daily basis. By engaging a more diverse group of stakeholders in Innovative Approaches’ work – such as policy makers and community leaders – that stakeholder support can be leveraged to influence policies that will directly benefit CYSHCN and their families.
Utilizing School Health Clinics to Advance Health Care Transition If only the transition from adolescence to adulthood was as clear as that of a caterpillar to a butterfly. To smooth the transition for adolescents, the Michigan’s Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) replicated Got Transition’s Six Core Elements of Health Care Transition framework to implement transition services within a school-based clinic. The goal is to assist adolescents – both those with special health care needs and those without – in developing needed skills to make health care transitions from pediatric to adult providers.
Providers & Teens Communicating for Health: Replicating PATCH Caitlyn is a 16-year-old girl who goes to a clinic with her mother for an annual school physical. She brings a list of questions to discuss with the doctor in private. She understands her rights to confidentiality and knows her mother will be asked to leave the room during the visit. In the one-on-one time with the doctor, Caitlyn opens up about her recent struggles with anxiety and concerns about the relationship with her new boyfriend. Managing her health care seemed like a daunting task until Caitlyn attended a workshop for PATCH.
Impact from the National MCH Workforce development center: An Update Launched in 2013, the National MCH Workforce Development Center has provided training and consultation to Title V agencies and partners in 43 states and two U.S. territories. Results from follow-up evaluations of the states and territories credit the center as crucial to progress on their health transformation projects.
Making the Case for Public Health and Corporate Partnerships to Meet Workforce Needs & Community Health Goals A joint publication of the de Beaumont Foundation and the Bipartisan Party Center (BPC), Good Health is Good Business: The value proposition of partnerships between business and governmental health agencies to improve community health, demonstrates that by working in partnership, the public health and corporate sectors can reach their common goals of improving the health of their workforces and the communities they serve.
In Case of Emergency, CYSHCN Parents Now Have a Plan Parents of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and medical professionals in Oregon recently teamed up to address a topic of special importance for CYSHCN and their families: planning for a trip to the emergency room (ER).
Emerging Workforce Issues: Protecting the Health of Mothers and Children in Emergencies Human populations have always had to adjust to changes in their environment. However, as the pace of climate change accelerates, maternal and child health (MCH) professionals need to be ready to address a variety of new or increased stressors related to heat, frequency and intensity of storms and wildfires, disease vectors, allergens and pollution.
How to Talk in a Job Interview: Four Tips from the Hiring Side of the Desk What’s the worst advice you’ve ever gotten for a job an interview? My mentor once advised me to just keep talking about myself and my skills until the interviewer tells me to stop. While this is wonderfully self-serving, now that I have been on the other side of the table, I can tell you that this is not a recommended way to present yourself.
Trainee Ambassador Group Connects MCH Trainees, Enhances the MCH Training Program Network Across the United States, maternal and child health (MCH) training programs educate and train the next generation of leaders in the field. The U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s (MCHB) Division of MCH Workforce Development (DMCHWD), part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), established the Trainee Ambassador Group (TAG) in 2015 as an ongoing vehicle for working collaboratively with current and former MCH trainees.
Supporting the CYSHCN Workforce - Using the National Standards as a Key Resource According to an Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs analysis of Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey data, "72% of MCH workers only last through one Title V five-year Needs Assessment process."
What is a State Adolescent Health Coordinator? According to an Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs analysis of Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey data, "72% of MCH workers only last through one Title V five-year Needs Assessment process."
State Internship Program for CYSHCN Pays Dividends The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) Internship Program for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) provides students with special needs/disabilities the opportunity to practice job skills in a real work environment, preparing them for eventual transition to work and independence.
MCHB's Workforce Development Programs: Training and Support for Title V Agencies Assuring that the maternal and child health (MCH) workforce is highly skilled and trained in the unique needs of MCH populations is a shared goal of the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and state programs that receive federal Title V funding. To achieve this goal, MCHB supports a portfolio of workforce development programs that train current and future leaders in MCH, and provides them with the tools and resources needed to improve the health and well-being of the nation's women, children and families.
Finding Our Place in MCH When I was selected as the 2009-10 public health trainee for the Baylor College of Medicine Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) program, little did I know that I would find myself later working for a leading organization in the MCH field.
Navigating in Challenging Times: The Important Role of Health Insurance Navigators When we think of the public health workforce, we don’t often think of health insurance navigators. However, navigators play an important role in advancing the public’s health through comprehensive health care coverage for all. (The MCHB National Performance Measures for the Title V block grant includes a measure on increasing children’s health insurance coverage).