January 30, 2025

AMCHP Member Briefs banner, a -biweekly AMCHP newsletter, with image of mother breastfeeding a baby.

AMCHP Announcements    

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Attention AMCHP Delegates! Call for Nominations for the AMCHP Board of Directors is Open through February 14 

Graphic alerting readers about the 2025 call for nominations for the AMCHP Board of Directors. Upcoming vacancies include Regional Directors for regions 1, 6, 9, and 10, as well as a Director-At-Large. To learn more, visit bit.ly/AMCHP-BDE25

AMCHP is excited to announce that the 2025 call for nominations for the AMCHP Board of Directors is now open! From January 27 through February 14, nominations to fill the following upcoming vacancies are open for elections to be held in late February. 

Regional Directors for: 

  • Region I [CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT] 
  • Region VI [AR, LA, NM, OK, TX] 
  • Region IX  [AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, FM, GU, MH, MP, PW] 
  • Region X [AK, ID, OR, WA] 

These full-term regional director positions are only open to current delegates for each region to serve from March 2025 to the close of the 2028 AMCHP Annual Conference. If interested, elected candidates will be eligible to serve for up to one (1) additional full-term election.

Director-At-Large 

AMCHP is seeking nominations from all regions to fill this vacancy, which is open to current delegates only. This full-term director-at-large position will serve from March 2025 to the close of the 2028 AMCHP Annual Conference. If interested, elected candidates will be eligible to serve for up to one (1) additional full-term election. This call for nomination looks to fill one (1) vacancy for this position.

Your Impact as a Board Director 

As a board director, you will: 

  • Help shape AMCHP’s policies and position 
  • Ensure the organization’s future viability and financial stability 
  • Directly work with federal and community partners 
  • Represent your peers from across the country 
  • Gain leadership experience in a national association 

About the Nomination Process 

The nomination process will remain open until February 14, 2025, unless further notice is provided. Once candidates are identified, the AMCHP Governance Committee will subsequently conduct telephone interviews with candidates, and the AMCHP full voting membership will vote through a virtual election process. 

Step 1: Download and fill out the Blank Candidate Questionnaire. 

Step 2: Send nomination questionnaires via e-mail to Nikeisha Ogletree, Chief Operating Officer, at nogletree@amchp.org. Please include the nominee’s name, title, agency or affiliation, address, phone, fax, and e-mail. Nominees must be AMCHP Delegates (as designated by their Title V MCH program member and CYSHCN program member) whose membership is in good standing. Please obtain permission from nominees before submitting their names.  

To verify membership status, please consult your state, territory, or jurisdictional delegation office or contact Nikeisha Ogletree at the email address provided above. You may also reach out to Nikeisha Ogletree for more information about our nomination process. 

Visit our website to learn more. 

Introducing the Fall 2024 MCH Innovations Database Practices  

AMCHP Innovation Hub Logo

Every Spring and Fall, the Innovation Hub hosts its bi-annual review of new, innovative, and impactful policies and practices in the maternal and child health (MCH) space. This past fall, we had EIGHT brand new practices accepted into the MCH Innovations Database! Learn about the accepted practices and the work they’re currently doing below:  

Cutting-Edge Practices  

Emerging Practices  

  • Mothers on the Rise – This program is an individualized coordinated system of care that supports mothers and babies in their transition from the Indiana Women’s Prison Nursery Unit into the community.   
  • Promises of Parenting Program – The Promises of Parenting Program focuses on improving the health of incarcerated mothers and their children at the Indiana Women’s Prison by providing evidence-based parenting education and support.  
  • Youth Advisory Board Toolkit – The Youth Advisory Board toolkit was developed at the Indiana Department of Health with the goal of amplifying youth voices when it comes to health needs and empowering youth to educate, change, and lead.  

Promising Practices  

  • Becoming a Mom Prenatal Education Program – Based out of Kansas, this is a prenatal education program that aims to improve knowledge, promote healthy behaviors, and enhance birth outcomes for pregnant women at high risk of adverse outcomes.  
  • Healthy Beginnings at Home – This is a transitional housing program that provides support to pregnant women in Marion County, Indiana. By providing stable housing, the program works to increase positive health outcomes for mothers and babies.  

Recent AMCHP Announcements         

AMCHP Annual Conference        

Graphic displaying the AMCHP 2025 logo, which includes a swirl in multiple colors with the AMCHP 2025 wordmark in big capital letters in the center. The overlaid text reads, Save the Date, March 15-18, Washington, DC.

The AMCHP Annual Conference is one of the largest gatherings of maternal and child health (MCH) professionals in the United States. Every year, our conference aims to highlight MCH programs’ impact at all levels on women, children, and families and to provide participants with tools and resources to develop, enhance, and sustain vital MCH programs and services.   

Register to attend AMCHP 2025 in Washington, DC, and subscribe to our Annual Conference Newsletter to be among the first to receive updates and information about this event.  

Don’t Miss Out! On-Site Child Care Available at AMCHP 2025  

Graphic promoting on-site child care services at AMCHP 2025.Learn more at bit.ly/AMCHP2025-CCS.

AMCHP is thrilled to share that on-site child care will again be available at our 2025 AMCHP Annual Conference!   

AMCHP has partnered with KiddieCorp, a trusted provider of high-quality children’s programs and youth services for conventions, trade shows, and special events, to host the children’s program during AMCHP 2025 at The Westin DC Downtown in Washington, DC.   

On-site child care services at AMCHP 2025 are available for children ages six months through five years old for a fee of $5 per hour per child (2-hour minimum required per child, per day), from Saturday, March 15 to Tuesday, March 18, on the following timeframes:  

  • Saturday, March 15: 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM  
  • Sunday,March 16: 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM  
  • Monday, March 17: 8:00 AM to 6:30 PM  
  • Tuesday, March 18: 8:30 PM to 1:00 PM  

Don’t miss out! Pre-registration is now open, and availability is limited as it operates on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure advance reservations, complete the registration form and full payment. On-site registration will be limited to space.   

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact KiddieCorp at (858) 455-1718 or by e-mail at info@kiddiecorp.com. More details are also available at bit.ly/AMCHP2025-CCS. 

About KiddieCorp  

KiddieCorp was founded in 1986 and has become the choice of top meeting planners for the past two decades and a trusted provider of high-quality children’s programs and youth services for conventions, trade shows, and special events. Its longstanding partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics has played a key role in establishing KiddieCorp as a premier provider of children’s program services, committed to offering excellent care while ensuring a fun environment. 

KiddieCorp is a member of the Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the Association of Destination Management Executives (ADME). Visit KiddieCorp’s website to learn more about their services and philosophy.  

Spots are filling up fast! Register to Join us at AMCHP 2025

Participants clapping at the AMCHP Annual Conference

Registration for the 2025 AMCHP Annual Conference is still open, but spots are filling up fast!  

Don’t miss this opportunity to join hundreds of maternal and child health leaders at AMCHP 2025 – Register now to save your spot! 

Are you still deciding whether to attend? Visit the conference platform to learn why you should attend our conference in Washington, DC. 

Kicking Off AMCHP 2025 with a YOUTH DAY!    

Graphic promoting Youth Day at the 2025 AMCHP Annual Conference on March 15 at the Westin Washington, DC Downtown. Learn more at bit.ly/AAC25Youth.

To meaningfully create change, we need the youth at the table.  

AMCHP will soon host its 2025 AMCHP Annual Conference, and to kick things off, the first day of our conference will be a day BY youth, FOR youth! Join us on Saturday, March 15, from 10:30 AM ET to 5:00 PM ET, where we will center authentic youth engagement, uplift youth-adult partnerships, and discuss topics that impact youth, family, and community health. Youth are invited to join us for FREE on this first day 

This youth day will include an interactive and fun opening ceremony that cultivates connections, free lunch, professional networking opportunities, skills-building sessions, art activities, and a youth-led town hall where young people can lead meaningful discussions and uplift their perspectives. Topics will cover youth mental health, intergenerational approaches to maternal child health, combatting stigma through storytelling, workforce development, and more! This is an incredible opportunity, and it is free for youth attending the AMCHP Conference and for local youth to attend on this first day!  

Visit the AMCHP Conference Youth Day registration page for more information and to register. Download the promotional flyer to help us spread the word!  

In Case You Missed It: The Full Schedule is Available on the Conference Platform    

Graphic alerting the full schedule of the AMCHP 2025 Annual Conference is live on the conference platform. It includes a photo of some participants smiling during a session in previous years. The link to learn more is bit.lyAMCHP2025.

In December, AMCHP released the full schedule of 57 workshops, 6 skills-building sessions, 145 poster presentations, and roundtables at the 2025 AMCHP Annual Conference 

Many maternal and child health leaders, researchers, and advocates will gather in person in Washington, DC, to share practices, data, and ideas, building around the conference theme, “Partnering for Impact. ” You won’t want to miss out! 

Visit the conference platform to access the full schedule and view sessions by date or by doing a keyword search. All sessions are displayed in Eastern Time. Start creating your list of must-see sessions today!  

AMCHP 2025 Blogs & Interviews   

AMCHP Events & Webinars 

Webinar: Building a Stronger State MCH Workforce – Research Findings 

Graphic alerting of the webinar, Building a Stronger MCH Workforce - Research Findings, hosted by Caroline Stampfel, AMCHP’s Chief Strategy & Program Officer, on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 3:00 PM. Register at bit.ly/CS-020725

AMCHP is delighted to share that our Chief Strategy and Program Officer, Caroline Stampfel, is hosting a webinar open to maternal and child health (MCH) leaders on February 7 at 3 PM ET to present research findings on building a stronger MCH workforce.  

This webinar is part of Caroline’s doctoral research focused on efforts to build a stronger state MCH workforce, including strategies to recruit and retain the workforce based on qualitative conversations and interviews conducted in the fall of 2024.  

Register in advance to join Caroline for an opportunity to learn about these strategies, participate in a Q&A session, and discuss her findings and their implications for your work! A post-meeting evaluation will be sent to your registration email address.  

Register now! 

AMCHP Information & Resources  

New Title V Housing Framework Resource 

Graphic promoting new AMCHP Resource: Title V Housing Framework. bit.ly/TitleVHousing

Recognizing that recent changes in National Performance Measures (NPM) related to housing instability pose new opportunities for Title V, AMCHP is committed to supporting you to identify your strengths, explore your role in addressing housing within your context, and develop actionable steps to positively impact housing outcomes for maternal and child health (MCH) populations. 

Towards the end of last year, we held a two-part workshop series designed to learn about tools, resources, and examples to help prioritize housing in MCH policies and programs and encourage prioritization of MCH populations in broader housing efforts. Access the recordings for the November and December workshops.  

To further support you, AMCHP is excited to share our new Title V Housing Framework, which outlines Title V’s role at the intersection of MCH and housing outcomes, highlighting five key responsibilities and corresponding actionable strategies. This resource provides a structured approach to help Title V programs address housing as a critical determinant of health for MCH populations. Use and share this resource with your network! 

AMCHP Celebrates Birth Defects Awareness Month: Building Stronger Referral Systems Through Collaboration  

Graphic promoting National Birth Defects Awareness Month in January. bit.ly/NBDAM2

AMCHP commemorates Birth Defects Awareness Month this January by celebrating the launch of our new Referral to Service Activities Framework for Birth Defects Surveillance Programs!   

This work is the culmination of a 3-year project with our partners from the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (CDC NCBDDD). Our partnership began in early 2022 with AMCHP’s provision of administrative support to NBDPN’s board, committees, and workgroups, as well as cataloging Standard Operating Procedures, initiating strategic planning efforts, and co-leading the 2023 NBDPN Conference. In this time, we also conducted an environmental scan of birth defect surveillance program (BDSP) and Title V program staff and held a series of virtual roundtables to discuss referral to service activities. 

Read more about the project in our blog post!  

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, which outlines 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.    

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 2024! 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 2-3 PM ET, including our first edition of the year on February 13. We invite you to register for all future Town Halls using 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.      

Publications & Resources  

New MotherToBaby Fact Sheets, Developed in Partnership with AMCHP 

MotherToBaby provides evidence-based information about the risks and benefits of various exposures, including medications, vaccines, chemicals, herbal products, substances, maternal health conditions, and more during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Its no-cost information service is available in English and Spanish to people who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding, their family members, health professionals, and the general public via chat, text, phone, and email. 

In partnership with AMCHP, MotherToBaby has developed evidence-based fact sheets on rheumatic heart disease, group A strep, and group B strep. These educational resources outline what is known about these exposures in pregnancy and lactation, and provide more information to healthcare providers and patients who are affected by these conditions. 

For more information about rheumatic heart disease, group A strep, group B strep, and other exposures in pregnancy and lactation, please visit MotherToBaby’s website to access free resources or contact a specialist. 

New 2022-2023 NSCH Data on Child and Family Health Measures Is Available Now!  

Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health logo: A project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.

New child and family health measures from the 2022-2023 combined year National Survey of Children’s Health are available on the Data Research Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DRC) website. With this new data, you can learn how your state is doing on nearly 400 child health measures including National Outcomes Measures, National Performance Measures, and Standardized Measures. Look at data by subgroups such as race/ethnicity, poverty level, medical home, insurance type, adverse childhood experiences, and more. In fact, check out our newest subgroup additions: an expanded measure of children with special health care needs and a measure of child flourishing. This is also the first combined year dataset to display the new measure of school readiness for every state.  

For more information and resources about the NSCH, such as fast facts, a guide to topics and questions, changes across years, survey methodology, survey instruments, and more, please visit the DRC NSCH Overview page. There are also numerous resources available on HRSA MCHB’s NSCH webpage.     

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 brought to you by the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI). For more information, take a short video tour or contact the CAHMI-DRC team through the Ask Us a Question page. 

Commemorations      

January 2025  

Thyroid Awareness Month  

National Glaucoma Awareness Month  

National Birth Defects Prevention Month  

Cervical Health Awareness Month  

Stalking Awareness Month 

Radon Awareness Month 

National Blood Donor Month 

Days to Note: 

Maternal Health Awareness Day, January 23 

World Leprosy Day, January 26