April 21, 2022

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April 21, 2022

COVID-19 Resources

CDC Statement on Masks in Public Transportation Settings

To protect CDC’s public health authority beyond the ongoing assessment announced last week, CDC has asked DOJ to proceed with an appeal in Health Freedom Defense Fund, Inc., et al., v. Biden, et al. It is CDC’s continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the public health. CDC will continue to monitor public health conditions to determine whether such an order remains necessary. CDC believes this is a lawful order, well within CDC’s legal authority to protect public health.

CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in all indoor public transportation settings. CDC’s number one priority is protecting the public health of our nation. As we have said before, wearing masks is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as the transportation corridor. When people wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over their nose and mouth in indoor travel or public transportation settings, they protect themselves, and those around them, including those who are immunocompromised or not yet vaccine-eligible and help keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone.

Read the full statement at this link.

Recent CDC News

AMCHP COVID-19 Resources and Vaccination Pages

AMCHP is committed to working alongside our federal agency and organizational partners to gather available information, resources, and guidance specific to our MCH population during the COVID-19 pandemic. These resources are on our website for your convenience and are updated regularly as untapped resources become available. Find out more about vaccinating MCH populations to stay up to date on well care during the pandemic here.

AMCHP Announcements

Never miss our updates! Sign up for our newsletters here, and follow us on Twitter (@DC_AMCHP), LinkedIn (Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs), Facebook (AMCHPofficial), and Instagram (@DC_AMCHP).

AMCHP Invites you to our Annual Business Meeting held on May 18 Virtually

AMCHP invites our members, partners, and other interested stakeholders to our Annual Business meeting, to be held on May 18, from 3:00 – 4:00 PM EDT. Join us to recognize transitioning Board Members and welcome 2022 Officers! Register at www.bit.ly/AMCHP22BM.

AMCHP Invites our Members to a Virtual Coffee with Our CEO

Members of AMCHP, please join our CEO, Terrance E. Moore, for a casual and virtual conversation over coffee. Learn more about him and his vision, and be part of a discussion about the challenges you have been experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic and how AMCHP can continue supporting you.

We would love for you to join one of the three open sessions below! All sessions will be held on Zoom and will be 45 minutes long.

April 27, at 2:30 PM EDT (Register)
May 17, at 3:00 PM EDT (Register)
June 1, at 2:30 PM EDT (Register)

Session registration is capped at thirty, so register today!

Follow AMCHP’s CEO on Twitter at @AMCHP_CEO. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@amchp.org.

AMCHP Annual Conference

The Latest on the AMCHP 2022 Annual Conference

AMCHP to Host Plenary Session on Sharing Your Why

The AMCHP 2022 Annual Conference is approaching! We can’t wait for you to join us at AMCHP 2022, held virtually from May 24-26, and be part of our Sharing Your Why plenary session where WHY is front and center.

Get inspired by our maternal and child health (MCH) community through their stories. Discover why they feel passionate about their work, what motivates them, why things need to change to create more equitable opportunities for the MCH population, and where their efforts fit into that change.

Through our Sharing Your Why plenary session and our presenter’s stories, we aim to:

Highlight the multiple ways in which their journeys to the MCH field enhance and strengthen the overall MCH workforce.
Make you feel motivated and passionate about their work and the direction that MCH needs to head to shape better futures for children, adolescents, and families.
Motivate you to reflect on their MCH journey, what brought them to the MCH field, and experience a sense of belonging within the MCH field.
Allow you to discover how the public health and MCH fields are enriched by having a workforce with diverse experiences and backgrounds and acknowledging the many pathways to and within MCH.
Understand your collective capacity to welcome others into the MCH field, feel inspired to create a welcoming environment, and think intentionally about who they are/should be inviting into the MCH space as the collective building blocks for effective and strategic partnership and collaboration.

Interested in attending? Register now and join MCH leaders and thinkers at AMCHP 2022! For more information about the conference, please visit our conference website.

Community-Based Organization (CBO) and Tribal Government Conference Scholarships

Do you work at a community-based organization or one representing a tribal government? Interested in attending AMCHPs 2022 Conference?

AMCHP invites you to apply for our Community-Based Organization (CBO) and Tribal Government Conference Scholarships! AMCHP recognizes the value in having community members, those working at community-based organizations, and those representing tribal governments participate in the annual conference as a way to share their expertise and insights while learning from and networking with others. At the same time, AMCHP acknowledges that attending the conference can be cost-prohibitive. To help reduce this barrier, AMCHP will be offering approximately 10 need-based scholarships. These scholarships can be used for conference registration or to support participation in the conference (i.e., childcare).

Complete this brief survey to submit a request for a scholarship by April 29. Have questions? Please contact evidence@amchp.org.

Support CBOs, Tribal Government Representatives, and Youth for Our Upcoming Annual Conference!

The AMCHP 2022 Annual Conference is fast approaching. While we can’t wait to see you at AMCHP 2022, we also recognize the deep value of having youth and young adult leaders, community-based organizations (CBOs), and those representing tribal governments attend as well.

Here is a letter from our President and CEO providing further details about ways to support these individuals to attend. We shared a similar letter last year, and based on our conference evaluation, it inspired jurisdictions to financially support over 50 youth and young adult leaders (including students), CBOs, and tribal government representatives to participate.

We are hopeful that this letter will have the same, or an even larger, impact this year. We also hope that it inspires you and your colleagues to have conversations about ways that you can further partner with and support these individuals and groups in your own work. Check out our conference registration page for further information.

Quick Links

Continuing education for this activity is pending. See the final announcement for details.

AMCHP Events & Webinars

New Recordings Available!

AMCHP Innovation Hub

Join AMCHP’s MCH Innovations Committee!

Are you interested in building evidence and innovation? Do you want to serve as a catalyst for developing and implementing equitable practices and policies? Join AMCHP’s MCH Innovations Committee!

AMCHP is accepting applications for interested individuals to join the committee as part of the 2021-2022 committee year. As a committee member, you will be part of the team working to advance the field of maternal and child health (MCH) through evidence and innovation. Specifically, committee members guide AMCHP’s efforts to identify, review, amplify, and support the replication of innovative and effective MCH approaches. These approaches center on health equity and improving the lives of individuals, families, and communities across the nation by providing evidence- and implementation-centered technical assistance, resources, and support.

Click here for more information, and fill out this form to join AMCHP’s MCH Innovations Committee.

AMCHP Mental Health Corner

Mental health is an important component of well-being for women and children. To recognize its importance, we will use this space to highlight resources for MCAH professionals to support their own mental health, as well as the mental health of those they serve. Read more about AMCHP’s organizational work on mental health and substance use here.

This month, AMCHP will be sharing resources to support National Public Health Week and World Health Day, both of which have a strong mental health component this year, as well as National Stress Awareness Month.

Interested in receiving more information on what’s happening related to mental health/substance use and MCH? Sign-up for the PRISM Digest, our monthly mental health/substance use newsletter, by emailing jsimon@amchp.org and check out the #AMCHPMentalHealth hashtag on Twitter. Have questions or want to learn more? Contact the mental health team at mentalhealth@amchp.org.

New Post Alert! #ScreenToInterveneForAYAs Blog Elevates Visions for Communities that Support AYA Mental Health

This latest blog post highlights two guest contributors, Amber Woodside and Abby Melton, who describe their visions for communities that are supportive of Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) mental health. Amber and Abby both serve on AMCHP’s Youth Voice Amplified Committee and share important considerations for MCH professionals as they work to transform the spaces where AYAs live, work, and play. Read what Amber and Abby have to say here. If you would like to receive an e-mail notification when a new blog post is available for viewing, please sign up here.

AMCHP National Policy Calls

AMCHP Policy and Partnership Town Halls

Thanks to those of you who joined us on the March webinar. Watch the recording:

In May, we will resume the Town Hall on the second Thursday of each month at 2:00 PM EDT with a new name to reflect a focus on MCH topics beyond COVID-19: AMCHP Policy and Partnership Town Halls!

The next call in this series is May 12, 2022, from 2:00-3:00 PM EDT. Please use this link to register. For follow-up materials and resources from previous calls, please check out AMCHP’s COVID-19 page.

Legislation & Policy

Explore our Maternal Health Bill Tracker for more information about pending federal legislation to improve maternal health.

MCH Advocacy Opportunity: Encourage Congress to support Title V in FY23!

Reach out to your member in the House of Representatives to encourage them to sign on to a bipartisan letter urging the highest possible funding level in FY23 for federal programs at HRSA, CDC, and NIH to improve maternal health and eliminate inequities in maternal health outcomes, including the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant. The letter is led by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO-1), Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI-8), Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL-2), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12), and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI-3), and will be sent to the Leadership of the House Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. To sign on, members can contact Cherie Lou Santos in Rep. DeGette’s office at cherielou.santos@mail.house.gov.

AMCHP Joins Over 100 National and Academic Organizations to Support Title V

AMCHP joined over 100 national organizations and academic institutions in sending a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittees in support of funding the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant at $1 billion in the fiscal year 2023 (FY23). This level of funding is higher than both the President’s requested budget of $953.7 million for FY23 and the current fiscal year 2022 funding level of $747.7 million. You can read the full letter on AMCHP’s website.

Opportunities & Funding

AMCHP Career Center: Connecting Talent with Opportunity

AMCHP lists the top jobs available in our industry. Search and apply to open positions or post jobs on AMCHP Career Center! Search for Jobs | Post a Job.

Call for Papers: Maternal and Child Health Journal Supplement on Public Health Approaches to Perinatal Substance Use

The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) are pleased to announce a forthcoming supplement on “Public Health Approaches to Perinatal Substance Use,” to be published by the Maternal and Child Health Journal. This supplement, sponsored by AMCHP and ASTHO, will feature articles that address policies and programs dedicated to expanding access to mental health and substance use care during the perinatal period. Please read our Call for Papers to learn more.

MCH researchers, state and local public health professionals, healthcare providers, policymakers, advocates at community-based organizations, and other allied professionals are encouraged to submit manuscripts. In June and July, we are hosting a writing workshop led by Timothy Dye, Editor-in-Chief of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, to support authors. Register to attend one or both writing workshops here.

If you are interested in submitting to the supplement, reviewing manuscript submissions, or have general questions about the supplement, please email Amani Echols (AMCHP) at aechols@amchp.org.

Request for Proposal: Website Maintenance Services

AMCHP is soliciting proposals for website maintenance services for its website www.amchp.org, which uses WordPress CMS, as well as several child sites. The purpose of this request for proposals is to use a competitive process to review vendor services for quality/efficiency assurance, troubleshooting, upgrades, and general support. Download the RFP and submit your proposal by April 25, EOD at www.bit.ly/3iP134P.

HRSA Funding Opportunity: State Maternal Health Innovation and Data Capacity Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the availability of up to $9 million through the State Maternal Health Innovation and Data Capacity Program to expand the State Maternal Health Innovation Program. This program supports state-level development and implementation of proven strategies to improve maternal health and address maternal health disparities. The new funding will continue to build state capacity to deliver high-quality maternity care services, provide training for maternal care clinicians, and enhance the quality of state-level maternal health data through better collection, reporting, and analysis. The program will fund up to nine cooperative agreements, and each will receive up to $1 million over five years.

For more information, go to the State Maternal Health Innovation and Data Capacity Program Notice of Funding Opportunity.

New Notice of Funding Opportunity: Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC)

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) shared a new Notice of Funding Opportunity for Transforming Pediatrics for Early Childhood (TPEC) for FY22.

The purpose of the program is to establish resource hubs that support the placement of early childhood development (ECD) experts into pediatrics practices, with a focus on patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs) and similar settings. The priority service population is young children (prenatal through five years old) and their families, who are eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program or are uninsured. Through this program, HRSA aims to:

Improve equitable access to a continuum of ECD services for the priority population, and
Improve the capacity of pediatric practices and workforce to deliver high-quality ECD services that address the holistic needs of children and families, to achieve long-term improvements in early developmental health, school readiness, family well-being, and health equity.

HRSA is accepting applications through May 23, 2022, for up to 4 cooperative agreements and at up to $1,000,000 each per year. Eligible entities include any domestic public or private entity, including Indian tribes or tribal, faith-based, or community-based organizations.

You can find a complete program description and instructions, together with the full application package here.

Publication and Resources

Developing Tools to Report Racism in Maternal Health for the CDC Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA): Findings from the MMRIA Racism & Discrimination Working Group

In the United States, Black women are nearly 4 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death. Recent evidence points to racism as a fundamental cause of this inequity. Furthermore, the CDC reports that 3 of 5 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. With these startling facts in mind, the CDC created the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) for use by Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRC) to support standardized data abstraction, case narrative development, documentation of committee decisions, and analysis on maternal mortality to inform practices and policies for preventing maternal mortality.

The purpose of this report from the field is to describe the process by which a multidisciplinary workgroup, selected by the CDC Foundation in partnership with maternal health experts, developed a definition of racism that would be specifically appropriate for inclusion on the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) form.

Data Alert! Single-year 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health Data Estimates Now Available

The Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC), a project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI), under a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), is excited to announce the release of the 2020 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) Child and Family Health Measures. These national-level data estimates are available through the Interactive Data Query on childhealthdata.org! The 2020 NSCH includes data from 42,777 children ages 0-17 years.

Updated: Guidance from the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative

When women are healthy, communities thrive. Yet too many women in the U.S. are not receiving the life-saving preventive care they need. To address this gap, we’re supporting the Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI), a federally funded program led by ACOG and HRSA that creates comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for women’s preventive health. WPSI’s recommendations address pressing and often overlooked issues facing women’s care.

WPSI recently updated five of its preventive services recommendations on contraceptive care, breastfeeding, well-woman visits, STI counseling, and HIV screening. With WPSI’s recommendations adopted by HRSA, the updates allow more essential services to be covered without cost-sharing. Help patients stay healthier throughout their lives by using WPSI’s complete set of recommendations and Well-Woman Chart to address your patients’ preventive health needs at every age.

PH Wins National Survey: Public Health Professionals Pushed to Limit

Facing PTSD Symptoms, Stress, and Burnout, Many Consider Calling It Quits

More than half of America’s public health workers report at least one symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey of nearly 45,000 employees in state and local government public health departments. The study reveals high levels of stress, burnout, and intent to leave among public health employees, many of whom have faced threats and harassment from officials and community members who have opposed their guidance on pandemic mitigation efforts, including masking, social distancing, and vaccination. Read the research brief.

The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) was conducted by the de Beaumont Foundation and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) between September 2021 and January 2022. Previously conducted in 2014 and 2017, PH WINS is the only nationally representative survey of state and local government public health employees.

Commemorations