By Terrance E. Moore, MA, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP)

As we begin to wind down the calendar year, let us pause and celebrate success!

This issue of Pulse, A Celebration of Title V Maternal and Child Health, features the success stories of states, jurisdictions, organizations, members, and the people administering maternal and child health programs, and it also describes the extraordinary efforts of community-rooted organizations, family leaders, youth, and people with lived experience.

In October, AMCHP’s Board of Directors approved the organization’s strategic plan through 2027 – AMCHP Future 2027. We are excited to release our new strategic plan to the public in January. As a bit of a teaser, one core area of work delineated in the new strategic plan focuses on the talent in the maternal and child health (MCH) field. Specifically, it addresses our renewed efforts to build and support talent, strengthen public health systems, and in our work to further connection, mentorship, and learning. This area of work focuses on five overarching goals:

1. Foster trauma-informed, equity-centered, and whole-person-focused workplaces internally and with members.
2. Internally develop and apply a standard and unified MCH workforce development and capacity-building nomenclature. AMCHP will share this language with major workforce centers, partners, and with members.
3. Support a diverse (with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, educational background, and other aspects of identity) MCH workforce and sustain this workforce by fostering a pipeline of professionals into the workforce.
4. Support members to reduce burnout, reduce their own staff turnover, and grow their talent and improve job satisfaction through diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.
5. Coordinate and align with partners to ensure that Title V programs and individual staff have equitable, consistent access to capacity-building opportunities that align with their changing priorities.

We are excited about the work ahead to realize these goals. In discussions with members in my first full year as CEO, one theme remains universal: rapid public health workforce burnout and turnover is a problem of increasing concern. AMCHP members continue to share that it is stressful and exhausting to counter mounting public health COVID-19-related criticism and to rebuild public trust. Despite these and other challenges, innovative and inspiring work continues.

Thank you for your commitment and for all you do to advance the health and well-being of all women, children, youth, families, and communities so that they may thrive. Please enjoy this issue!