Zika Corner
Tips for Communicating with Your Baby's Doctor or Health Care Provider
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new fact sheet for parents of newborns who may have been exposed to the Zika virus during pregnancy. The fact sheet is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Prevalence of Microcephaly and Other Birth Defects Associated with Congenital Zika Virus Infection —
Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia, 2013-2014
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report uses data from population-based birth defects surveillance programs in Massachusetts, North Carolina and Atlanta to assess the prevalence of birth defects during 2013-2014 that met the surveillance case definition for birth defects potentially related to Zika virus infection before its introduction into the U.S.
Workforce Development
Updated Infographics
The Healthy Tomorrows Program, in collaboration with the Altarum Institute, created an infographic to highlight the investments in the program since 1989. The data show that grantees have been highly successful in leveraging federal dollars to secure additional funding.
Epidemiology in MCH
DataSpeak — Moving the Needle on Maternal Health: Updates on Federal and State Initiatives
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau presented a webinar on maternal health and mortality data, focusing on how this data are collected and defined, different measurement methods and how federal and state stakeholders are working to improve maternal health. The archived webinar is available.
General & Maternal Child Health
Public Health Pronto
Public Health Pronto is the new MCH Navigator's new microlearning project that allows you to participate in short bursts of learning throughout the year to improve your public health skills. If you enjoyed the 5-Minute MCH Program, this is for you.
2017 Health Value Dashboard
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio released the latest edition of its Health Value Dashboard, which ranks states and the District of Columbia on a combination of population health and health care spending metrics. The dashboard uses a comprehensive approach to looking at health by evaluating social, economic and physical environments. The dashboard provides in-depth data on 118 metrics.
Back to Basics Medical Home
The National Center for Medical Home Implementation published an infographic that provides a series of tips on understanding and implementing the medical home model.
Health Systems Transformation in MCH
TV Ads Aided the Affordable Care Act's First Enrollment Period
A study released by Health Affairs examined county-level data on uninsured and Medicaid enrollment rates for individuals under 65 in 2013 and 2014. The data reveled that there is a strong and stable correlation between the volume of insurance advertising and health insurance gains in counties.
Child and Adolescent Health
State of the ImmUnion
Every Child By Two has released its State of ImmUnion report. The report highlights the successes of vaccines, the economic and societal savings incurred from vaccines, challenges facing the public health system and key areas of focus to achieve optimal protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years or Younger — United States, 2017
In October 2016, the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved the recommended immunization schedule for children and adolescents under 18. The 2017 schedule, published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, summarizes ACIP recommendations, including several changes from the 2016 immunization schedules.
Bright Futures
The American Academy of Pediatrics published the updated Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents. This resource provides key background information and recommendations for themes critical to healthy child development along with well-child supervision standards for 31 age-based visits — from newborn through age 21.
Women's & Infant Health
Women Face Higher Opioid Toll
Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in a recent webcast that the nation's epidemic of narcotics misuse — most recently underscored by a spike in heroin-related deaths — is especially threatening to the health of women and girls.
Eating Fish: What Pregnant Women and Parents Should Know
The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency issued advice regarding eating fish. The advice is geared toward helping women who are pregnant or may become pregnant — as well as breastfeeding mothers and parents of young children — make informed choices about fish that is healthy and safe to eat.
Recommendations on Gynecologic Screenings
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) released a final recommendation statement on screening for gynecologic conditions with pelvic examinations. USPSTF concluded that more research is needed to recommend for or against pelvic examinations in adult women without any signs or symptoms.