AMCHP > About AMCHP > Newsletters > Member Briefs > Archive > 2014 > Feb. 24, 2014

Feb. 24, 2014

MANAGEMENT MINUTE

Rethinking My To Do List
I lived by the “to do” list as a manager for many years. But in one of my most long-term executive jobs, the list really started to get to me. As time went on, the list got longer and longer. It included things that were more routine that I really hoped to get to, but never did, as well as a lot of really interesting ideas for the future.

Periodically, as the years went by and the list ballooned, I would stress out and talk to my best coaches, my husband Mike and my good friend Dory. Mike’s wisdom was usually the same: “Do the best you can do, and that will be enough.” This remains my ongoing mantra when things get crazy. Dory always had reassuring words as well. After talking to her or Mike, I would let my anxieties go for a while as the list continued to grow. [more]

LEGISLATIVE & POLICY CORNER

AMCHP Policy Agenda Approved
In January, the AMCHP board approved our 2014 Federal Policy Agenda now posted here. This agenda helps communicate how AMCHP prioritizes among MCH issues and indicates where we will play leadership and supporting roles.[more]

Appropriations and Reauthorization Updates
Congress is on recess until Feb. 25. The next milestone in the federal budget process is the expected Mar. 4 release of President Obama’s FY 2015 budget proposal. This release will mark the beginning of the intensive appropriations season, and AMCHP will be advocating across Capitol Hill in support of $639 million for the Title V MCH Service Block Grant. [more]

HEALTH REFORM

Clarification from CMS on Third Party Payments of Premiums for QHPs
An important frequently asked question (FAQ) document for state and federal government programs that may provide premium support for qualified health plans (QHPs) purchased in the Marketplace was issued last week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). [more]

AMCHP Releases Proceedings from the Connecting the Dots Meeting
In the summer of 2013, AMCHP hosted a national-level meeting with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, of nearly 50 leaders representing federal health agencies, state departments of health and Medicaid agencies, professional associations, provider groups, nonprofit leaders, think tanks, private funders, and academia in Washington, DC. [more]

GET INVOLVED

Virtual Training Opportunity: Title V Five Year Needs Assessment
Title V legislation requires each state and jurisdiction to conduct a state-wide, comprehensive needs assessment every five years. Hard to believe that the time has come for Title V programs to prepare for the next comprehensive needs assessment! The needs assessment process can be a useful tool for strategic planning, strategic decision-making and resource allocation. It also provides a way for Title V programs to benchmark where they are and assess progress over a five-year period. To assist states or jurisdictions in preparing their assessments, AMCHP is hosting a series of virtual trainings to provide guidance on the needs assessment process. [more]

AMCHP RFA: ALC for State Title V CYSHCN Directors and Teams: Taking a Leadership Role in Transitioning CYSHCN into Medicaid Managed Care Arrangements
On Friday, Feb. 14, AMCHP will release a request for applications (RFA) for interested state teams to join an action learning collaborative (ALC) to take place in late-April 2014. The ALC will focus on states currently transitioningchildren and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) into Medicaid managed care arrangements, states planning to transition CYSHCN into Medicaid managed care arrangements, and states that have already transitioned CYSHCN into Medicaid managed care arrangements. [more]

National MCH Workforce Development Center Releases Request for Participation
The National MCH Workforce Development Center at UNC Chapel Hill, in cooperation with MCHB, and in partnership with AMCHP and national experts in MCH innovation and quality improvement, will offer state and territorial Title V leaders training, collaborative learning opportunities, and technical assistance in implementing health care reform using a variety of learning platforms. In the current dynamic context, tools and resources to strengthen MCH capacity and skills in four core areas will be available through the National Center to move from evidence to action. [more]

Fostering Partnership and Teamwork in the Pediatric Medical Home: A “How To” Webinar Series
The National Center for Medical Home Implementation (NCMHI) in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is hosting a free 3-part webinar series February through April 2014. Faculty will discuss “how to” strategies for implementing team huddles (February), enhancing care partnership support (March), and starting and supporting family advisory groups (April). [more]

Webinar: Federal Efforts to Improve Maternal and Infant Health Data Capacity and Health Outcomes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will hold a webinar, “Federal Efforts to Improve Maternal and Infant Health Data Capacity and Health Outcomes,” onMonday, Mar. 3 from 1:30-2:30 p.m. EST. [more]

CSTE MCH Symposium Call for Abstracts
The Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program, CDC, in partnership with the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), announced a special call for abstracts for presentation at the MCH Symposium of the 2014 CSTE Annual Conference to be held Jun. 22 in Nashville, TN. [more]

Are You “Branding” Your Title V-Funded Programs, Services, Events and Resources?
As a Title V professional you understand that Title V programs have a large reach supporting women, children, children and youth with special health care needs, and families. Do others, such as the general public, program consumers or even state legislatures, have this same understanding? [more]

For more ways to get involved, click here.

PUBLICATIONS

General Maternal & Child Health

HARC Enrollment is Open
The Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC) is a new practice-based research network devoted to conducting collaborative studies with home visiting programs. HARC is open to the following groups: a) home visiting programs that provide home visiting to expectant families or families of children birth to five years; b) leaders of home visiting networks; and c) home visiting researchers. [more]

Women's & Infant Health

Toolkit for Transitioning Newborns from NICU to Home
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality developed a new toolkit to help improve the safety of infants born preterm or with complex congenital conditions as those infants transition from the neonatal intensive care unit to their home. The toolkit features information on creating a Health Coach Program to identify the needs and concerns of parents/caregivers and facilitate follow-up care for the infant by primary care providers. As an online tool, the Health Coach can customize family information packets based on personal needs. [more]

Child & Adolescent Health

New Publication from the National Evaluation of the CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant Program
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has published the seventh Evaluation Highlight from the CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant Program, now available on the national evaluation website under Reports and Resources. This Highlight, How are CHIPRA quality demonstration States designing and implementing caregiver peer support programs?, focuses on how states are working to expand access to peer support for caregivers of children with special health care needs and describes how states have recruited, trained, and supported peer support caregivers. [more]

ON YOUR BEHALF

On Feb. 12, AMCHP staff Erin Bonzon and Andria Cornell participated in a daylong partners meeting for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Technical Assistance Coordinating Center (TACC). The MIECHV TACC, led by ZERO TO THREE, provides support to HRSA grantees in implementing MIECHV-funded home visiting programs. AMCHP presented on the strengths of aligning Title V and MIECHV, especially in light of the transformation of the Title V MCH Services Block Grant, and contributed feedback on topics including collaborative learning and quality improvement.

On Feb. 20, AMCHP staff Carolyn McCoy attended a Capitol Hill Briefing on the importance of the reauthorization of CHIP. Panelists included a CHIP director, a pediatrician, and an 11-year-old CHIP enrollee with Crohn’s survivor. AMCHP is in support of continuation of the CHIP program and recently signed onto a letter to congressional leaders and the president.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

AMCHP Seeks Associate Director, Government Affairs
The AMCHP Associate Director, Government Affairs position is responsible for development and implementation AMCHP advocacy activities related to appropriations and maternal and child health programs, including provisions included in the Affordable Care Act. [more]

AMCHP Seeks Program Manager for Data & Assessment, Women’s and Infant Health Team
The Women’s and Infant Health team at AMCHP is currently accepting applications for program manager for data & assessment. This position is a member of the program team and contributes to the advancement of maternal and child health outcomes by performing a variety of planning and program implementation, research and evaluation projects related to women’s and infant health and maternal and child health/data and assessment. [more]

OWH Director, Division of Program Innovation Opening
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office on Women's Health (OWH), Division of Program Innovation is accepting application for its director position. The Division of Program Innovation identifies evidence-based strategies and develops programs for targeted issues; designs, develops and implements interventions to improve women's health; incorporates gender-specific issues into model programs; oversees model program development and related activities; identifies the future direction of women's health and associated strategies and gaps in current coverage of women's health issues; and reviews promising strategies to identify and promote innovative ideas for future program development. [more]

AMCHP'S CAREER CENTER
The Career Center is the premiere online job board for individuals seeking employment in Maternal and Child Health programs. Whether you are looking for an entry-level position or are a more seasoned professional looking for new opportunities, the AMCHP Career Center has great openings for great people! Searching our database is free and open to all job-seekers. AMCHP members receive a discount on job postings -- so sign up today!

FUNDING

Telehealth Resource Center Grant Program
Deadline: Feb. 25
The purpose of this grant program is to support the establishment and development of Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs) in order to: expedite and customize the provision of telehealth technical assistance across the country, while at the same time working together to make available a wide range of expertise that might not be available in any region. [more]

Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) Program
Deadline: Mar. 3
Funding to implement the Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) Program, a program of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. [more]

Traumatic Brain Injury State Implementation Partnership Grant Program
Deadline: Mar. 7
This announcement solicits applications for the Traumatic Brain Injury State Implementation Partnership Grant Program. The purpose of the HRSA traumatic brain injury (TBI) program is to increase access to rehabilitation and other services for individuals with TBI. The goal of the this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support state, territorial governments, federally recognized Indian tribal governments and Native American organizations as they address barriers to needed services encountered by children, youth, and adults with and at high risk for TBI. [more]

MCHB Reaching Practicing MCH Professionals in Underserved Areas Through Education and Training Program
Deadline: Mar. 21
This announcement solicits applications for grant funds to plan, develop, and implement the Reaching Practicing MCH Professionals in Underserved Areas Through Education and Training Program that is designed to address and strengthen the nation’s (59 states and jurisdictions) Maternal and Child Health Public Health system by developing the public health workforce through innovative strategies that address the special educational needs of diverse public health professionals who provide MCH public health services in isolated, underserved, communities, including rural and frontier areas, U.S. jurisdictions, and Indian reservations. [more]

Reducing Loss to Follow-up after Failure to Pass Newborn Hearing Screening
Deadline: Mar. 24
This announcement solicits proposals for reducing the loss to follow-up of infants who have not passed a physiologic newborn hearing screening examination prior to discharge from the newborn nursery by utilizing specifically targeted and measurable interventions. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to further focus efforts to improve the loss to documentation/loss to follow-up by utilizing specific interventions such as quality improvement methodology to achieve measurable improvement in the numbers of infants who receive appropriate and timely follow-up. [more]

For more funding opportunities, click here.

CALENDAR

Click here to see the AMCHP MCH Events Calendar.