The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is pleased to have been awarded a new grant to lead the new Maternal and Child Environmental Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network
(MCEH CoIIN) from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The three-year grant aims to build state capacity to improve systems of care to address the needs of maternal, infant and child populations that are at risk for or experience exposure to lead.

AMCHP will work with partners at the National Initiative for Children’s Health Quality, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, National Academy for State Health Policy, and National Environmental Health Association to provide technical assistance to 11 state teams through the MCEH CoIIN.

“State and community response to reduce lead exposure in maternal and child health populations requires a comprehensive, coordinated approach,” said Lori Freeman, CEO of AMCHP. “This CoIIN is an opportunity to model collaboration and alignment of environmental health and MCH at the national, state, and local levels.”

AMCHP and its partners will draw on expertise in facilitating quality improvement efforts and collective impact, and providing state and territorial programs with capacity building assistance to accelerate improvements in health for women, children, and families.

“Many state agencies, including Title V programs, have prioritized addressing harmful environmental exposures, including lead,” Freeman said. “This CoIIN provides an excellent segue to bring together those state agencies with
other programs to accelerate improvements in their systems of care. No infant, child or adolescent should ever have to suffer the life-long consequences of lead exposure. As a society, we have a deep responsibility to reduce and eliminate exposure, as well as to ensure appropriate care for those kids exposed.”

This project is supported by HRSA of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UJ9MC31105 – Maternal and Child Environmental Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) for $849.999. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.