Are you interested in building your jurisdiction’s capacity to meet the complex needs of women, children, and families in planning for and responding to public health emergencies? The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is inviting applications for the fourth cohort of its Emergency Preparedness and Response Action Learning Collaborative (EPR ALC). Since 2018, more than 20 teams from state and territory health departments have participated in this initiative that is funded by and done in close partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Reproductive Health. Click here for a brief summary of highlights.
What is the goal of the ALC?
- This is a capacity-building initiative. Our expectation is that the people and entities represented on participating teams will be better prepared upon completion to engage in their jurisdiction’s broader emergency preparedness and response efforts in ways that ultimately benefit women of reproductive age, especially pregnant and postpartum women, and infants.
Who should apply?
- The ideal ALC participants are multidisciplinary teams from a single jurisdiction (i.e., associated with a state, territory, or freely associated state) that must include staff from the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and Public Health and Emergency Preparedness and Response (PHEP) programs – with an individual associated with one of those programs serving as team lead. We strongly encourage applicants to have representation from other relevant government entities, including but not limited to those identified in the application.
- Stipends are available to support the full participation of family and youth leaders on ALC teams, recognizing both the critical importance of their perspectives in driving this work and the existing challenges associated with using agency funds to adequately compensate individuals who are neither employees nor contracted consultants.
What goes into the application?
- The application is informal, brief, and can be completed in writing or as an interview with AMCHP staff. No letter of agency of support is required. The application asks about existing capacity-building efforts, as well as any known priorities. Also included are questions about what your team intends to gain from participating, opportunities and challenges, proposed team members and the perspectives they bring, and how that team composition can contribute to success.
What are the program components and anticipated benefits?
- The EPR ALC is framed by the Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Checklist for Maternal and Infant Health, which was jointly developed by AMCHP and the CDC. The checklist covers four overarching capacity-building strategies that address topics such as data and surveillance, communication, and program coordination. Click here to see a proposed schedule of 2023 EPR ALC activities.
| Action | Learning | Collaboration |
| Tools and dedicated time for establishing and addressing consensus priorities | Exposure to foundational MCH and PHEP content, as well as relevant CDC tools and resources | Network building, experience processing, and idea sharing with peers from other jurisdictions |
| Planning and implementation support from an assigned coach, plus AMCHP and CDC staff | Monthly webinars featuring subject matter experts, e.g., CDC staff and national organization representatives | Joint activities with local health department staff engaged in similar capacity-building initiatives |
| Final presentation and report aligned with Title V block grant narrative submission requirements | Explicit focus on racial and health equity in the context of emergency preparedness and response | Emphasis on multidisciplinary team building and stakeholder engagement across program components |
What is the timeline and expectations for participating teams?
- Applications are due on Friday, December 9
- Decisions will be communicated to applicants by Friday, December 16
- The ALC opens with an orientation in January 2023 and concludes with final team presentations in July 2023
- All team members will participate in one virtual ALC activity per month
- Team leads will connect with their assigned coach at least once per month outside of scheduled webinars
Have questions? Please contact Nia Sutton, AMCHP’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager, at: nsutton@amchp.org.
This initiative is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number 6 NU38OT000296-05-02.
