May 2, 2024 - AMCHP

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May 2, 2024

AMCHP Announcements

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AMCHP Members Invited to Share Ideas for the Upcoming FY25 Title V MCH Federal-State Partnership Meeting by May 10

AMCHP invites our members to share their ideas for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Federal-State Partnership Meeting, which will take place this fall in the Washington, DC area – an event hosted by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), in partnership with AMCHP.

As we prepare for the meeting, we would love to hear your invaluable insights and ideas to make it more productive and successful. You can also share topics you’d like to see covered during this meeting and some work being done in your state. To share our input, please complete this survey by May 10.

This message is intended for MCH/CYSHCN Directors, Block Grant Coordinators, Adolescent Health Coordinators, Family Leaders, and all other Title V affiliated representatives, so please pass it along!

Call for Nominations for the AMCHP Board of Directors is Open through May 17

The Governance Committee is seeking nominations for the 2024 election cycle of the AMCHP Board of Directors.

As a board director, you would help shape AMCHP’s policies and positions, represent your Title V peers from across the country, ensure the organization’s future viability and financial stability, work directly with federal and community partners, and gain leadership experience in a national association.

The following upcoming vacancies are now open for nominations as of April 26, 2024, for elections to be held in late May 2024. Nominations will remain open from April 26 through May 17, unless further notice is provided.

Region III [DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV]
Region IV [AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN]
Region VIII [CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY]
Director-At-Large
Family Representative

AMCHP member delegates are encouraged to consider applying. Your help is needed to fill these important positions! Thank you in advance for your interest, ongoing support, and representation of your state or region.

To learn more about the election, terms, responsibilities, and the process for applying or submitting a nomination, please visit our call for nomination on our website.

AMCHP Launched Its 2024 Federal Policy Agenda

Interested in learning about our 2024 Federal Policy Agenda? Download it from our website!

Our 2024 Federal Policy Agenda outlines where AMCHP intends to focus our advocacy work this year in support of federal programs and policies across Congress and the Executive Branch that improve the health of women, children and their families.

We also reinforce AMCHP’s acknowledgment of racism as a public health crisis that directly impacts the health outcomes of the communities we serve and reiterate our commitment to evaluating policies through the lens of dismantling racism and pursuing health equity and racial equity.

In 2024, AMCHP will play a leadership role to advance policies that:

Robustly fund maternal and child health (MCH) programs and initiatives, including the Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Title V MCH Services Block Grant at $1 billion and additional critical federal MCH programs such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Safe Motherhood Portfolio and HRSA’s Healthy Start Program.
Prevent and respond to MCH concerns, with an emphasis on supporting communities that are disparately impacted. This includes addressing racial and ethnic disparities in maternal and infant mortality and morbidity and responding to emerging MCH issues.
Support the needs of AMCHP’s membership at large by serving as our members’ eyes, ears, and voice in Washington, DC and uplifting stories to ensure their experiences and needs are reflected in federal policy conversations.

Please visit our website to continue exploring our 2024 Federal Policy Agenda and our other policy areas.

Stay up to date with AMCHP’s policy work by signing up to receive our Legislative Alerts and Policy Digest directly in your inbox and registering for our monthly Policy and Partnership Town Halls.

Newly Updated Title V State Profiles

AMCHP’s Title V State Profiles have been newly updated! These user-friendly briefs include the latest information on the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant in your state or territory.

The Title V MCH Block Grant is the only federal program of its kind dedicated to improving the health of all women, infants, and children in the United States. In fiscal year 2022 (FY22), programs funded by the MCH Block Grant served 93% of all pregnant women, 99% of infants, and 61% of children nationwide. Learn more in our Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Title V Funding Ask Sheet.

Visit our webpage to learn more about how Title V funds benefit your state as well as the populations and programs funded. For questions, contact our Government Affairs team: Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org) and Amani Echols (aechols@amchp.org).

Recent AMCHP Announcements

March Pulse Issue: Essentials for Moving Data Equity Forward

AMCHP Annual Conference

Thank you to the more than 1,300 maternal and child health (MCH) leaders and thinkers that joined us in Oakland and virtually from April 13-16 for our 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference! Over 1,000 individuals joined us in person and almost 300 virtually, making this event again one of the largest gatherings of MCH professionals in the United States.

Subscribe to our Annual Conference Newsletter to be the first to receive updates and information about our conferences in 2025 and 2026, and share the subscribe link with your peers!

AMCHP 2024 Post-Conference Evaluation Survey

Please take a few moments to complete the conference evaluation survey and share your experience at this year’s AMCHP Annual Conference! This survey is extremely important for AMCHP to continue putting your voice first when crafting the next conference experience. Help our conference planning committee serve you better by filling out the survey to the best of your ability.

The survey was sent out to all registered attendees on April 19 from ‘AMCHP 2024 Conference Evaluation’ (noreply@qemailserver.com) – please check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.

We appreciate your feedback and look forward to seeing you again at AMCHP 2025 in Washington, DC!

CDC Continuing Education Credits

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has granted continuing education (CE) credits for the virtual and in-person workshops and plenary sessions of our 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference. The maximum number of virtual and in-person credits for those earning CNE, CME, and CHES is 12.5 credits.

CE credits will be available for each plenary session and one workshop for this year’s conference within each block. To identify workshops eligible for CE credits, look for those labeled “CE Offered” in the title; these workshops will be the 4th session within each block.

To receive CE credits for CM4762 – AMCHP Annual Conference – Oakland, CA – April 13-16, 2024, please visit TCEO and follow these 9 simple steps before May 20, 2024.

Course Code: CM4762

Course Access Code: AMCHP24

AMCHP Announced Award Winners

On Monday, April 8, 2024, AMCHP announced the winners of its 2024 AMCHP Annual Awards. The awards recognize MCH leaders for their outstanding contributions to the field and were presented at the 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference, held April 13-16, 2024, in person at the Oakland Marriot City Center in Oakland, CA, and virtually through our virtual conference platform.

Read the news release.

Acceptance Remarks from AMCHP 2024 Award Winners

AMCHP presented awards for MCH leaders at the 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference on April 13-16, 2024. During the presentation ceremony on Sunday, April 13, we experienced some technical difficulties and were not able to share two of the recorded acceptance remarks from Cynthia DeSa, Emerging MCH Leader from Region III, and Amber Pendergraph-Leak, Innovation Hub Awardee accepting for BirthMatters. We also were only able to share audio for the acceptance remarks from Ness Verigin, Emerging MCH Leader from Region X. We wanted to take this moment to celebrate these awardees and share their acceptance remarks with our community.

AMCHP 2024 Highlight: Policy Leaders’ Reflections on Black Maternal Health Week

AMCHP’s 2024 Annual Conference in Oakland, California, coincided with Black Maternal Health Week. To highlight the amazing work being done in this space, we featured influential Black maternal health policy leaders in videos played during our conference plenary session. The first video features Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and Sponsor of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, historic legislation to save moms’ lives and address every driver of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States. 

The second video features Okunsola M. Amadou, Founder and CEO of Jamaa Birth Village and the AMCHP 2024 John MacQueen Lecture Award recipient; Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-12), a Black maternal health champion representing California’s 12th congressional district, which is based in Oakland; and Breana Lipscomb, Senior Adviser of Maternal Health & Rights at the Center for Reproductive Rights. 

Each advocate for Black maternal health was invited to share their reflections on the significance of Black Maternal Health Week and their efforts to drive policy improvements in this critical area. We encourage you to take a few moments to hear their insights on their inspiration for advocating in this field, the policy avenues they envision for enhancing Black maternal health, and how collaborative efforts within the maternal and child health community can facilitate meaningful policy reform.

View these videos on our website, and share them with your network!

AMCHP 2024 Local Organization Spotlight

AMCHP is excited to have welcomed attendees at this year’s AMCHP Annual Conference, which featured a variety of organizations dedicated to improving the health of women, children, and families.

In April, we invited United And Guided and SisterWeb to answer questions to uplift their work on developing economic security, emotional wellness, reproductive justice, and birth equity for Black and Brown families. We hope these interviews inspire you to reflect, purposefully partner with, and uplift the work of local San Francisco Bay organizations committed to advancing MCH.

Read the interviews: United And Guided and SisterWeb.

Revisit AMCHP 2024 Live-Streamed Content Now Available on the Conference Platform

Do you wish to revisit your favorite session or engage with the live content you might have missed? The wait is over! Live-streamed session recordings are now available on the conference platform, including all three plenary sessions.

For one year, registered participants of AMCHP 2024 will have access to all the on-demand content, live plenary sessions, workshops, and more! Visit the conference platform, log in with your access key, and continue to be inspired by all the outstanding speakers and participants this year on your own time. You can also visit our blog and podcast page to revisit some significant milestones of AMCHP 2024.

Save the Dates for AMCHP 2025 and AMCHP 2026 in Washington, DC!

This graphic includes two images of Washington, DC, and Save the Date information for AMCHP 2025, which will be held from March 15 to 18, and AMCHP 2026, which will be held from March 7 to 10.

AMCHP Information & Resources

New Blog Post! Recap, Reflections, and Resources: Maternal and Child Health Journal Special Issue on Public Health Approaches to Perinatal Substance Use

In December 2023, AMCHP & Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) unveiled a groundbreaking Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Journal Special Issue: Public Health Approaches to Perinatal Substance Use. This MCH Journal special issue serves as a vital resource, presenting 21 open-access articles that delve into the latest research, programs, and policy initiatives surrounding perinatal substance use disorder (SUD).

Read our new blog post for a recap of the journal launch, reflections on the special issue from key partners, and resources to explore and share with your network!

Legislation & Policy

Explore our recently updated Maternal & Child Health Bill Tracker for more information about pending federal legislation to improve maternal health. Also, download AMCHP’s 2024 Federal Policy Agenda outlining where we are focusing our advocacy work.

Subscribe to AMCHP’s Legislative Alerts and Policy Digest to stay up to date with the latest policy information.

AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls

Thank you to those of you who joined us for our last AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Hall in February. You can find the full recordings of past Town Halls on our Government Affairs webpage.

Town Halls occur on the second Thursday of every month from 2-3pm ET. We invite you to register for all future Town Halls, including our next meeting on May 9, at this registration link.

Opportunities & Funding

AMCHP Career Center: Connecting Talent with Opportunity

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

Request For Proposals for CNMI MCH Needs Assessment

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Public Health and Environmental Services is seeking qualified vendors to help with its upcoming comprehensive 5-year Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment. The package is available for download via the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation request for proposal (RFP) webpage, and the RFP number is  Addendum-RFP24-CHCC-PHS-MICAH-013. The deadline to submit proposals is May 13.

Partner Events & Webinars

Upcoming Webinar on Applying a Framework to Early Childhood Systems

Join ZERO TO THREE’s Early Childhood Developmental Health Systems (ECDHS): Evidence to Impact Center on Thursday, May 16 from 4-5:30pm ET for the webinar “Systems Change in Early Childhood Using the Water of Systems Change Framework.”

Presenters Melissa Passarelli, MA, associate director of implementation and system-building at Help Me Grow National Center, and Jennifer Splansky Juster, MBA, executive director at Collective Impact Forum, will introduce The Water of Systems Change and how it can be applied to early childhood systems-building efforts. They will explore six interdependent conditions that vary from “explicit” to “implicit”:

Structural Change (explicit): policies, practices, resource flows
Relational Change (semi-explicit): relationships & connections, power dynamics
Transformative Change (implicit): mental models

This webinar will help early childhood and health systems leaders – such as Title V; Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs; Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems; Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting; Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five; and similar program leaders – identify potential strategies for their work.

Registration link

Possibilities for Change Webinar on Empowering Professionals

Join Possibilities for Change on Tuesday, May 21 at 3pm ET for a webinar on Empowering Professionals: Risk Screening and Coaching Best Practices.

 Many professionals need support in providing quality youth risk screening and coaching, asking questions like: Which screening tool will be most effective? What do the results mean and what do I do next? How do I provide effective risk reduction coaching? How do I use population data to inform my practice?

If this is you, you’re not alone!  In this 45-minute session, you will get to dive into best practices in youth risk screening and coaching.

Participants will:

Understand the role of screening in reducing risk
Discover practical, efficient methods for conducting screening
Feel empowered to address identified risks with evidence-based strategies
Plan actionable, next steps to integrate new practices into their work

Whether you’re new to the field or looking to refine your approach, this webinar will provide valuable insights into risk screening and coaching, and tangible next steps to help you improve outcomes in youth risk. 

 Registration link

Publications & Resources

New Article by CDC Scientists: Syphilis Treatment Among People Who are Pregnant in Six U.S. States – SET NET, 2018-2021

On Wednesday, April 17, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists published an article in Obstetrics & Gynecology entitled “Syphilis Treatment Among People Who are Pregnant in Six U.S. States – SET-NET, 2018-2021.”

Syphilis during pregnancy has dramatically increased in recent years. When left untreated, syphilis can lead to serious illness for pregnant people and their babies. This study looks at syphilis treatment patterns during pregnancy in six states from 2018-2021:

In this study, fewer than two-thirds of people with syphilis during pregnancy were adequately treated.
People without timely prenatal care (at least one visit more than 30 days before end of pregnancy) or no prenatal care were less likely to be adequately treated. However, nearly one third of those with timely prenatal care were still inadequately or not treated.
People with complicated lived experiences, such as reported substance use or being unhoused, were twice as likely to receive inadequate or no treatment.

We can do more about syphilis.

We need earlier testing during pregnancy and faster turnaround of testing and treatment. This can help ensure adequate treatment initiated more than 30 days before delivery. Any healthcare encounter during pregnancy is prenatal care and is an opportunity for syphilis screening and prompt treatment. In addition to improving access to prenatal care, approaches to improve syphilis care in settings outside of traditional prenatal care settings, including emergency rooms, substance use treatment facilities, jails/prisons, and shelters serving unhoused individuals, are needed.

New Heat and Health Assessment Tool from CDC and NOAA

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released the nation’s first health-based heat alert system and heat guidance for clinicians.

The new initiative has three resources, which combined enable proactive steps people can take to protect themselves:

The HeatRisk Forecast Tool, developed by CDC and NOAA, provides a seven-day national-scale heat forecast that tells you when temperatures reach levels that could harm health.
CDC’s HeatRisk Dashboard serves as a portal into all our new heat resources for the nation and includes the HeatRisk Forecast Tool, details on local air quality, and actions to stay safe on hot days or days with poor air quality.
CDC clinical guidance that we expect will enable clinicians and their patients to create personalized plans that will help ensure we can continue to safely enjoy warmer months. Even though heat can impact anyone’s physical and mental health, many groups may be particularly sensitive to heat and our guidance has focused initially on children with asthma, pregnant women, and people with cardiovascular disease.

2021-2022 Combined Two-Year Data from the NSCH is Now Available

Data from the 2021-2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) combined two-year data is available on the Data Research Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC) website!

New National Performance Measures (NPM), National Outcome Measures (NOM) and, for the first time, Standardized Measures (SM) are available on the DRC. With this new data you can learn how your state is doing on NOM, NPM and SM by subgroups such as race/ethnicity, poverty level, medical home, insurance type, adverse childhood experiences, and more. Combined year data sets offer larger sample sizes which improve the estimates for measures such as low prevalence conditions (e.g. autism spectrum disorder) or for smaller groups of children in your state (e.g. certain race or ethnicity groups).

In case you missed it, the 2022 NSCH data set and codebook are now available on the DRC website, and the combined year 2021-2022 data set and codebook will be available in May 2024.

The NSCH is a national survey, funded and directed by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB), that provides rich data on multiple, intersecting aspects of children’s health and well-being – including physical and mental health, access to and quality of health care, and the child’s family, neighborhood, school, and social context. Request NSCH datasets in SAS, Stata, and SPSS formats with accompanying codebooks on the DRC website.

The DRC is a project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) supported by HRSA MCHB. For more information, take a short video tour or contact the CAHMI-DRC team through the Ask Us a Question page.