July 25, 2024

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July 25, 2024

AMCHP Announcements

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AMCHP Announces Board of Directors Run-Off Election Results

AMCHP is delighted to announce that our membership has elected Linda H. Starnes and Nikki Dyer as the Family Representatives to the AMCHP Board of Directors. These two new officers were elected during the run-off election that ended on Tuesday, July 2, and will serve on the AMCHP Board from 2024 – 2027.

“On behalf of the AMCHP Board of Directors, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Linda and Nikki,” said Marcus Allen, President of the Board. “AMCHP is a leader when it comes to valuing the voices of people with lived experience, and by adding Linda and Nikki to this space where leadership decisions are made, the organization and its membership demonstrate their unwavering commitment to family engagement and uplifting lived experience.”

Linda H. Starnes serves as the Statewide Family Leader for the Florida Department of Health’s Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Program. She has spent her life actively involved in the disability and special health care needs community as a special educator, parent, speaker, and advocate and fulfilling her most important role – being the mother of two with different rare genetic conditions, medical complexities, and varying abilities. Linda has served on numerous councils and boards of healthcare, disability, and educational institutions at state and national levels, and presents at conferences each year. She is a high honors graduate from the University of Tennessee and holds two graduate certifications in human resources development and organizational development from Georgetown University. Linda is also a graduate of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Region IV Public Health and Primary Care Leadership Institute.

Nikki Dyer is the Family Engagement Consultant for the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs unit at the Washington State Department of Health. They are the Washington State Family Delegate and the current Vice Chair for AMCHP’s Family Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Committee. They have nearly 15 years of professional experience in child development, education, and disabilities, and have worked directly in the school system. Nikki promotes family inclusion within the program and works with the Family Advisory Council. They are a sibling to an autistic individual and a mother to a 2-year-old with sensory differences. Nikki has a Master of Education degree, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature, and is a LEND family discipline alumni through the University of Washington.

To learn more about the AMCHP Board, please visit our website.

New MCH Bridges Podcast Episode – Generating Policy Solutions to Protect Children with Complex Health Care Needs During Emergencies

Our latest MCH Bridges episode is now live! Episode 19 – Generating Policy Solutions to Protect Children with Complex Health Care Needs During Emergencies

Our new MCH Bridges podcast episode addresses the critical importance of planning for and responding to the needs of women, children, and families, particularly those requiring complex care, during public health emergencies. The efforts described in this episode reflect the panelists’ personal and professional experiences advocating for and implementing a state-level policy change to do just this.

Tune in now to this detailed discussion about what it takes to implement a policy change aimed at ensuring that children with the most complex health care needs are less vulnerable to the impact of natural disasters and other emergencies. This example demonstrates how family advocates and staff from multiple state agencies partnered to create an amendment for the Medically Fragile Technology Dependent Medicaid Waiver that enabled critical power generators to be purchased with the use of waiver service funds.

This episode is a part of AMCHP’s Building Resilience from Lived Experience anthology.

Why tune in to MCH Bridges?

MCH Bridges is intended to help our listeners create new connections to MCH leaders, organizations, and ideas. We aim to inspire and guide listeners towards actions that will improve the systems that impact MCH populations. 

Who should listen to MCH Bridges?

MCH Bridges is designed for Title V MCH & CYSHCN leaders, state and jurisdictional health department staff, individuals with lived experience and their families, MCH faculty and students, public health professionals, and others wanting to learn more about supporting MCH populations and equitable systems of care. 

Save the Date for the 2024 Title V Maternal & Child Health Federal-State Partnership Meeting

We are excited to announce that AMCHP is partnering with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to convene the 2024 Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Federal-State Partnership Meeting from October 20-23 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washinton, DC.

This meeting is a unique opportunity for MCH stakeholders to engage in thoughtful discussion around issues addressed by the Title V MCH Block Grant. It provides an opportunity for peer learning and sharing, networking, guidance, technical support, and thought partnership to shape policies and practices for achieving optimal health outcomes for the MCH population.

AMCHP Announced 2024 Board of Directors Election Results

On Monday, July 1, AMCHP announced that our Board of Directors recently elected a new slate of officers and welcomed one new member. These Board members began serving on June 13.

Transitions, re-elections, and new appointments to the Board include Marcus Allen (President), Dawn Bailey (President-Elect), Lisa Asare (Past-President), Rachel Hutson (Secretary), Marcus Johnson-Miller (Treasurer), Leah J. Woodall (Region III Director), Jacqueline Johnson (Region IV Director), Jennie Munthali (Region VIII Director), and Belinda Pettiford, to whom AMCHP extends its gratitude and appreciation for her commitment to the organization over the past years, as she transitions off from her role as Past-President to the Board. With these changes, AMCHP’s Board of Directors will comprise sixteen members.

“On behalf of the AMCHP Board of Directors, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to this outstanding group of new officers,” said Marcus Allen, newly appointed President of AMCHP’s Board of Directors. “Their expertise, years of experience in the maternal and child health field, and motivation to join the AMCHP Board of Directors are of true value as we continue supporting AMCHP and its mission of advancing the health of women, children, youth, families, and communities and centering health equity.” [continue reading]

Recent AMCHP Announcements

Webinar Series: Pathways to Sustainability – Now Available to Watch!

AMCHP Annual Conference

Thank you to the more than 1,300 maternal and child health (MCH) leaders and thinkers who joined us for our 2024 AMCHP Annual Conference, making this event again one of the largest gatherings of MCH professionals in the United States.

Save the date for AMCHP 2025! Subscribe to our Annual Conference Newsletter to be the first to receive updates and information about AMCHP 2025, and share the subscribe link with your peers!

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

Do you wish to revisit your favorite session or engage with the live content you might have missed at AMCHP 2024? 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.

Mark Your Calendars! The Call for Proposals for AMCHP 2025 Opens August 1

Mark your calendars! Our AMCHP 2025 call for proposals will open on August 1 for workshops, posters, skills sessions, and roundtables.

Our conference planning committee has already started discussing a meaningful and impactful theme for AMCHP 2025, and we look forward to sharing it with you soon! Be sure to subscribe to our conference email list to be one of the first to receive updates.

AMCHP Mental Health Corner

AMCHP Celebrates National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Bebe Moore Campbell was a mental health advocate, author, journalist, & teacher passionate about Black mental health. We encourage you to listen to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast to learn the history of this observance and explore Mental Health America’s 2024 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit for free, practical resources.

Throughout history, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have carved out systems of support to sustain collective well-being. Take time this month to explore mental health resources created by BIPOC communities. Here are a few podcasts to get you started:

All My Relations: Learn more about relational approaches to wellness in Indigenous communities.
Birthright: Hear stories of joy and healing in Black birth.
Latinx Therapy: Tune in to discussions about mental health issues facing Latinx communities.
Stories of Stigma: South Asian Mental Health: Listen to conversations intended to remove stigma and improve awareness.

Mental health is an important component of well-being for maternal, child, and adolescent health populations. Read more about AMCHP’s organizational work on mental health and substance use and our Commitment to Workplace Well-Being.

Interested in receiving more information on what’s happening related to mental health/substance use and MCAH? 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.

Legislation & Policy

Explore our 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 this year.

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

ICYMI: SCOTUS Misses Opportunity to Affirm EMTALA’s Protections, Leaving Pregnant Patients in Uncertainty

On June 27, AMCHP’s Chief of Policy and Government Affairs, Sherie Lou Santos, issued the following statement in response to the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, in the consolidated cases of Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States:

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed these cases as ‘improvidently granted’ – meaning the Court determined the district court should render a decision before higher courts weigh in. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that she is disappointed the Court did not decide this case on the facts, writing ‘Today’s decision is not a victory for pregnant patients in Idaho…[P]regnant people experiencing emergency medical conditions remain in a precarious position, as their doctors are kept in the dark about what the law requires.’ [continue reading]

Statement by AMCHP CEO Terrance E. Moore on the Supreme Court Ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA

On June 13, AMCHP’s CEO, Terrance E. Moore, issued the following statement in response to the opinion by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.

While the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is relieved that access to mifepristone was preserved by today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision, we remain concerned that the door has been left open for further challenges to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approval of mifepristone more than 20 years ago. Currently, there are cases before lower court judges seeking to rescind or limit mifepristone’s approval. These cases are primed to overcome the hurdles that prevented the Supreme Court from taking strong action today. Additionally, states continue to develop novel strategies intended to restrict access to medication abortion, including by listing both mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances, the same categorization as prescription opioids and amphetamines. [continue reading]

AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls

Thank you to those of you who joined us for our last AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Hall! 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, including our next edition on August 8. We invite you to register for all future Town Halls 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.

Partner Events & Webinars

Save the Date for the 2024 Syphilis Solutions Summit: Strengthening Birth & Community Supports

Join the virtual 2024 Syphilis Solutions Summit! This year’s focus is strengthening birth and community support around congenital syphilis.

This gathering, hosted by Child Trends and New Insights in Sexual Health, offers a virtual platform for community health workers and community-based birth workers to delve into current trends in congenital syphilis (CS) while fostering connections with peers to explore strategies for decreasing congenital syphilis rates in their communities. Throughout the discussions, they aim to identify actionable steps to improve knowledge, awareness, testing, and treatment of syphilis throughout pregnancy.

Who: Community health workers and community-based birth workers. Anyone interested in community health and the health of pregnant people and babies is welcome.
When: Wednesday, August 28 from 12-2:30pm ET
Where: Virtual session via Zoom. Registration is now open!

Publications & Resources

The County Maternal Health Landscape: Inequities, Barriers and Recommendations

Counties play a critical role in improving the health of pregnant and postpartum people. To better understand the challenges and opportunities for county government in supporting pregnant and postpartum people, the National Association of Counties Research Foundation surveyed county officials on their role and authority in maternal health, gaps and barriers in maternal care systems, and county-level solutions and priorities.

This report highlights survey findings alongside focus group and interview responses to share the critical role of counties in serving pregnant and birthing residents. AMCHP’s Birth Equity Ecosystem Map is also highlighted as a framework to connect maternal health to infant, family, and community health.

National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention Saving Lives Together Training Modules

The National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention released a new resource for fatality review teams on collaboration with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, in partnership with AMCHP Healthy Beginnings Steering Committee member and past AMCHP Annual Conference presenter Janelle Palacios, PhD, CNM, RN, and member of Séliš & Ktunaxa.

In these modules, you will learn about the significance of working alongside Native communities throughout the fatality review process. Information can be used to understand history, acknowledge the importance of partnership, and work with communities to keep AI/AN children and infants alive. Learn more and access the modules:

Conversations on Health Care – HHS’ Admiral Rachel Levine: Managing Her History-Making Role While Focused on the Nation’s Health

With most of the country suffering through a sweltering heat wave, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services has found the right time to unveil its nationwide Heat and Health Index (HHI).

“Conversations on Health Care” learned all about it from Admiral Rachel Levine, M.D., the department’s assistant secretary for health. “We are seeing heat-related injury and health impacts globally,” says Levine, particularly in vulnerable populations, such as children, seniors and people who work outside. Watch the conversation.

New Connecting to Coverage Coalition Policy Paper on Medicaid Unwinding

AMCHP is pleased to be a member of the Connecting to Coverage Coalition, which has released a new policy paper that outlines actionable recommendations to help children and families maintain Medicaid and CHIP coverage. Ensuring continuous coverage for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries is more important than ever, now that millions have lost coverage due to the post-COVID “unwinding” process.

Learn how these recommendations can help reduce coverage gaps and improve health outcomes.