June 20, 2025

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June 20, 2025

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AMCHP Unites in Solidarity with our Minnesota Members and Partners

We are heartbroken and shaken by the devastating violence that occurred in Minnesota over the weekend. Many of you have likely seen the news: Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were attacked and are now recovering from their injuries. Senator Hoffman has long been a true ally to maternal and child health. He has championed Title V, lent his time and insight as a block grant reviewer, and shown unwavering dedication as a family leader.

This is a shocking tragedy — and it hits close to home for so many in our community. It reminds us how fragile and precious community leadership is — and how important it is to care for each other in times like these.

AMCHP stands with our Minnesota colleagues and with every member who may be feeling this loss more personally right now. We will continue to be here as a resource and support for you — not just in policy and programs, but as people navigating this together. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you or your team need anything.

We are holding our Minnesota partners and the loved ones of Speaker Hortman and Senator Hoffman in our thoughts. Take care of yourselves and each other.

New Pulse Plus Newsletter Issue Now Available

The latest issue of our Pulse Plus newsletter is live on our website! In this edition, we highlight a collaborative effort between AMCHP and our long-standing partner, MotherToBaby. This collaboration resulted in three new educational resources aimed at addressing rheumatic heart disease and group A and B strep infections as part of our partnership to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Additionally, we feature Got Transition – one of our Replication Projects focused on supporting families of youth with special health care needs during their transition from pediatric to adult health care. In this article, the project shares how tools like readiness assessments and medical summaries helped families understand key steps during their child’s transition to adult health care, such as supported decision-making, communication with providers, and self-advocacy for their child.

Read the articles:

Contribute to our Pulse Newsletter

Are you an AMCHP member or partner interested in collaborating on an article for our Pulse newsletter? Please e-mail us at communications@amchp.org.

Recent AMCHP Announcements

AMCHP Events & Webinars

AMCHP Member Office Hours Series: Leading Through Uncertainty

Graphic promoting the AMCHP member office hours series “Leading Through Uncertainty.”

Please join the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) for our 5-week series “Leading Through Uncertainty,” an opportunity for AMCHP members in a supervisory role to discuss and process leadership challenges through peer discussions, questions and answers, and an “ask me anything” style segment. The AMCHP staff will kick off the call with brief tidbits, including tools, resources, or food for thought, on the following discussion topics:

Part 3: Creating Community

Date & Time: June 26 at 4:00 PM ET
Link to Register: bit.ly/LTU-062625

Part 4: Delivering Difficult News

Date & Time: July 10 at 4:00 PM ET
Link to Register: bit.ly/LTU-0725

Part 5: Capturing Joy

Date & Time: July 17 at 4:00 PM ET
Link to Register: bit.ly/LTU-0725

Don’t miss our series! Register now to join one or all of the remaining calls.

Join Our Second Innovation Hub Learning Community Webinar of 2025

Join us for the second Innovation Hub Learning Community (IHLC) webinar of the year on Tuesday, July 15, from 3-4 PM ET! The IHLC offers programmatic support to all practices in the MCH Innovations Database through one-on-one tailored coaching, didactic webinars, and peer sharing opportunities. In 2025, AMCHP is hosting three webinars on topics related to programmatic best practices that all MCH professionals and advocates are welcome to attend.  

Our second session this year will focus on programmatic and policy sustainability: When does the planning stop? This session will be an interactive workshop designed to provide an overview of programmatic and policy sustainability and guide participants through an action planning activity for sustainability. 

Interested? Register now.

AMCHP Information & Resources

New AMCHP Fact Sheet on Maternal & Child Health Investments

Our new fact sheet on the National Survey on Children’s Health – Essential Data for Healthier Futures is now available!

This resource provides an overview of the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) – an annual household survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau on behalf of and funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). This survey is the only nationally representative, state-level survey focused specifically on child and family health and which data informs policy development, program implementation, and public health strategies.

With this new addition, our AMCHP Fact Sheets on Maternal and Child Health Investments series, launched in May, now offers eight resources that provide an overview of critical federally-funded programs that are complementary to the Title V MCH Services Block Grant. These fact sheets also outline the critical impact these programs have on MCH populations and highlight the importance of preserving and bolstering these programs. Other topics in the series include:

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)
Maternal Mortality Review
Medicaid
Newborn Screening (NBS)
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI)
State Maternal Health Innovation (MHI)

Visit our website to view and download all the fact sheets. If you have any questions or need any support from our experts, please don’t hesitate to contact us at communications@amchp.org.

New Resources for Title V: Seize the Opportunity to Strengthen Early Childhood Systems

Graphic alerting of new AMCHP resources for Title V: Seize the Opportunity to Strengthen Early Childhood Systems. Recorded Webinar on Maximizing Impact: Using New Title V Measures to Advance Early Childhood Work: bit.ly/ECC-RW. PDF Resource on Title V MCH Services Block Grant Needs Assessment: A Window of Opportunity for Early Childhood Health: bit.ly/ECC-PDF

AMCHP is excited to share two new resources designed to support Title V programs in improving early childhood systems during the Five-Year Needs Assessment process. These tools highlight how programs can leverage the new child health National Performance Measures (NPMs) and National Outcome Measures (NOMs) to advance early childhood health and strengthen collaboration with other early childhood initiatives.

Recorded Webinar on Maximizing Impact: Using New Title V Measures to Advance Early Childhood Work

This engaging webinar features experts from AMCHP and the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI) as they explore how the new child health NPMs and NOMs can help Title V programs elevate their systems-level early childhood work. Learn practical strategies to strengthen partnerships, improve well-child visits, and position your program as a leader in early childhood systems improvement. Access this webinar recording.

PDF Resource on Title V MCH Services Block Grant Needs Assessment: A Window of Opportunity for Early Childhood Health

Dive into this timely resource that outlines why early childhood health must be a priority in the Five-Year Needs Assessment. Discover tangible next steps Title V programs can take to lead, partner, and innovate in support of stronger early childhood systems, taking into account real-world implementation challenges. Access this PDF resource.

Explore these two resources on our website to equip your team for success during the needs assessment and beyond.

New Infographic: How Title V Programs Support Food and Housing Security

AMCHP has released a new infographic highlighting insights from our environmental scan of Fiscal Year 2025 Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant applications. The scan shows how state and territorial Title V programs address housing instability and food insecurity — two key community health factors for maternal and child health.

This resource provides a concise, visual overview designed to inform internal planning, build evidence, support cross-sector collaboration, and inspire innovation among MCH professionals. Download the infographic and share it with your networks.

Interested in learning more about specific examples? Reach out to the AMCHP project team at MCHPIP@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, which outlines where we have focused our advocacy work.

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

Administration Releases Additional Budget Document for Administration for a Healthy America

As a reminder, on May 2, the Administration released the President’s Budget Proposal for FY26 – colloquially referred to as a “Skinny Budget” – that provides a broad overview of funding requests for each federal agency for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). While the proposal serves as a requested blueprint for federal spending, Congress ultimately holds the power to approve, reject, or revise the Administration’s recommendations as it crafts appropriations legislation. Read more about maternal and child health (MCH)-related proposals in the Skinny Budget in our June 6 Policy Alert.

Further, more detailed, program-level budget requests are provided separately through congressional justification (CJ) documents. On June 7, the newly forming Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) released its agency-specific CJ with a FY26 budget of $20.6 billion. Read the full Policy Alert.

AMCHP Leads Efforts to Support Funding for Federal MCH Programs in FY26; White House Begins Releasing FY26 Budget Proposal Materials

AMCHP continues to lead partners and collaborate with Congressional champions in support of federal maternal and child health (MCH) programs through the annual federal appropriations process for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). AMCHP has led efforts to obtain signatories on a series of letters addressed to the leadership of House and Senate Appropriations Committees demonstrating the broad, bipartisan support for funding a myriad of federal programs to improve maternal and child health.

While the Congressional appropriations process continues to ramp up, the Administration has recently been releasing documents containing budget recommendations to Congress. As a reminder, Congress has the authority to approve, reject, or modify the administration’s budget recommendations. AMCHP is deeply concerned by any proposed cuts to critical MCH programs. We are committed to urging Congress to fund the Title V MCH Block Grant at $1 billion in FY26, including increased investments to both the state formula fund and the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS), in recognition of the significant role the Title V MCH Block Grant plays in the health and well-being of our nation’s women, children, and families. Read the full Policy Alert.

AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls

Thank you to those of you who joined us for our AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls in June! 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 next meeting, July 10. We invite you to register for all future Town Halls at this registration link.

Opportunities & Funding

Request for Proposals to Enhance Community-Driven Responses to Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Mortality

The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) released a new request for proposals (RFP) for projects that support community-based organizations (CBOs) as they build capacity to address opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose mortality. 

This RFP expands FORE’s Community-Driven Responses to Opioid Use Disorder and Overdose Mortality Program with new funding aimed at supporting additional CBOs as they strengthen their operations, refine their programming, and foster community partnerships. FORE will provide support for selected requests that build capacity for and promote the sustainability of initiatives that reduce the burden of OUD and overdose mortality in local communities. Requests may include one or more of the following, or may propose other activities:

Enhance operational effectiveness to improve productivity and organizational functioning in areas such as administration, finance, human resources, and technology, with the goal of achieving long-term sustainability and diversified funding.
Strengthen communication efforts to raise awareness about an organization’s mission and attract attention and resources to the organization.
Strengthen and evaluate programming to enhance access and delivery of evidence-based OUD services to more individuals and families in their communities.
Foster collaborations with a broader range of allies — in education, business, courts, and primary and behavioral healthcare settings — to strengthen community engagement that results in stronger and expanded services.

Applicants may apply for a grant of up to $75,000 per year for up to two years (up to $150,000 total). Applicant organizations must be a community-based 501(c)3 organization or a nonprofit with a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor; have been in operation for at least two years; and have an annual operating budget between $150,000 and $7 million.

More details can be found on FORE’s Grants & Funding page. All applications must be submitted through the FORE grants management system by July 2 at 11:59 PM PT.

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

Enhancing Systems of Care for Children with Medical Complexity Coordinating Center: Environmental Scan Findings

Join AcademyHealth’s upcoming webinar on Monday, June 23, from 2-3 PM ET to gain practical insights and proven strategies to better support children with medical complexity and their families. You will learn how to apply key findings from the Environmental Scan Report, including flexible eligibility criteria designs, improved data collection, and quality-of-life measures that may strengthen your work. An expert panel, featuring leaders from Medicaid, Title V, and family-based organizations, including AMCHP Immediate Past Board President Marcus Allen, will share real-world experiences and offer solutions for overcoming common challenges. 

This is your chance to discover how other states are successfully implementing family-centered health homes, explore available quality measures, and find inspiration for tailoring your own approach to care. Do not miss this opportunity to connect with experts and gather actionable ideas you can use right away. Learn more and register now.

Don’t Miss AMCHP Partner, Relias’ On-Demand Webinar – Behind the Data: Urgent and Overlooked Gaps in Maternal Care

The numbers tell a sobering story: hundreds of mothers die each year from pregnancy-related complications, with thousands more suffering from severe, often preventable conditions. But these statistics only scratch the surface. Behind every data point is a person, a missed warning sign, a preventable crisis, and systemic gaps that continue to put lives at risk. 

But this conversation isn’t just about statistics; it’s about the complex challenges driving these outcomes and deepening maternal health disparities. Why do preventable deaths still happen despite advances in medicine? What factors — beyond the delivery room — are being ignored? How can clinical care, behavioral health, and social support work together to create lasting change? 

Watch Relias’ on-demand webinar as they unpack the urgent risks and overlooked priorities shaping maternal care today and explore what it will take to finally close these gaps. 

Learning objectives: 

Recognize the impact of behavioral health on maternal outcomes. 
Explore how social determinants of health contribute to maternal disparities. 
Understand the role of clinical and systemic factors in maternal health inequities. 
Learn collaborative strategies to drive meaningful change in maternal care.

Access the on-demand webinar now.

Publications & Resources

Healthy Mothers, Healthy Futures: Improving Maternal Health in America Series

With more than 80% of maternal deaths in the United States considered preventable, the call for cross-sector leadership to craft actionable solutions has never been more pressing. This four-part series, supported by Merck for Mothers — a dedicated initiative to help create a world where no woman dies while giving life — takes readers on a journey through the crucial stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. The articles examine the system-wide challenges impacting maternal health, the progress achieved, and the essential work that remains to drive transformative improvements in maternal health.

Visit the Health Affairs webpage for the series and check out the articles published thus far:

Safe Delivery: Vital Solutions for Improving Maternal Health, by Jacquelyn Caglia
A Blueprint for Change: Safer Childbirth Starts in the Community, by Wilna Paulemon
Birth in America: A Prescription for Progress to Improve Maternal Health, by Kalahn Taylor-Clark, Wilna Paulemon, and Jacquelyn Caglia

New The Bond: Our Babies, Our Voices Podcast Episode

Episode 3 of The Bond: Our Babies, Our Voices podcast is out now! Giving Birth Without Speaking English, created by Kiwi Cares, is an episode focused on a mom who navigates the healthcare system through interpreters, as well as the separation of mothers and babies during the early hours of life. Tune in now!

New Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model Resources

The Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) initiative is a care delivery and payment reform model that aims to improve maternal health experiences and outcomes for people enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Check out these new resources from the National Partnership for Women & Families to support your work:

TMaH Implementation Playbook – This guide is for state Medicaid agencies and their partners to prepare for successful implementation of the TMaH program.
Health Affairs Forefront Blog Post – This write-up describes the game-changing potential of TMaH.
Fact Sheet: State Opportunities for Improving Health for Moms and Babies – This resource introduces the TMaH program and outlines how all states can use TMaH’s actionable framework to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.