Enhancing Family Engagement through Quality Improvement
The National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) oversaw the launch and implementation of the Family Engagement Quality Improvement Project (FEQIP). NCMHI released the "lessons learned" fact sheet, which shares strategies and tips for meaningfully engaging families in clinical practices, engaging a parent/caregiver in quality improvement projects, and implementing family engagement quality improvement projects.

National Strategy for the Opioid Epidemic
As part of the Opioids Action Plan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) to convene a committee to update the state of the science on pain research, care and education, and to identify actions the FDA and others can take to respond to the opioid epidemic. The National Academies published new recommendations in this report.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month
National Immunization Awareness Month celebrates the benefits of vaccination and highlights its importance for people of all ages. The National Public Health Information Coalition, in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, developed a communication toolkit to help health care professionals, coalitions, advocates, and parents learn about the importance of immunizations.

Improving Quality of Care for Emergency Department Patients with Sickle Cell Disease
The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities developed two tip sheets focused on improving the quality of care for patients with sickle cell disease who visit the emergency department — a place where they often experience barriers to care. One tip sheet is for parents, and the other is for doctors.

Archived Webinars for MCH Training
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau's Division of MCH Workforce Development released the following webinars for MCH training:
·       It's Loud Out There: Hearing Across the Lifespan
·       Using Administrative Data to Address Policy-Relevant Questions in Early Care and Education
·       Achieving True Partnership: Integrating Family Engagement in Systems of Care
·       Integrating Early Childhood Care

Health Systems Transformation in MCH

Principles of Child Health Financing
The American Academy of Pediatrics released an updated edition of the Principles of Child Health Financing. It outlines how the design, financing, and payment policies of a health care system can ensure children have access to universal coverage with quality, affordable health insurance that covers the full scope of essential pediatric benefits. The updated version emphasizes that Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program are hard-won gains for children's healthcare and should be upheld in future legislation.

Child & Adolescent Health

Assessing Pediatric Emotional and Behavioral Problems
The Massachusetts General Hospital published the Pediatric Symptom Checklist. The checklist can be used by parents and pediatricians to assess how children and adolescents ages of 4 to 16 are functioning in different settings. The screening can help families recognize potential behavioral problems so that appropriate interventions can be initiated as early as possible.

Adolescent Health Partnership Newsletter: STD Prevention
The National Association of County & City Health Officials is participating in a national partnership to reduce HIV and other STDs among adolescents through school-based prevention programs. Blog posts and newsletters will periodically be shared to provide updates regarding partnership activities and resources to support adolescents.

Legislation and Policy in MCH

Protecting Maternal, Child and Family Health
The American Public Health Association's MCH Section published a brief that examines Medicaid's 52 years of progress in improving the health of women, children, and families, and how the program helped shape the maternal and child health system.