July 30, 2026

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July 30, 2026

AMCHP Announcements

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Calling Interested Participants and Mentors to Apply for AMCHP’s Leadership Lab

AMCHP is excited to announce that we are seeking participants and mentors for our 2026-2027 Leadership Lab cohort!

Leadership Lab is a unique opportunity for those affiliated or working with jurisdictional Title V programs (staff, consultants, volunteers) to accelerate their professional development in a way that is framed by the MCH Leadership Competencies and guided by adult learning principles. AMCHP believes that achieving our vision of a skilled and flexible workforce starts with investing in the leadership journeys of individuals serving in many different roles and settings.

One of the core components of the program is that participants are matched with a mentor who can share what it means to lead with intention and compassion.  Mentors offer their expertise, wisdom, and support across program activities. Mentors work with AMCHP staff members to help plan and facilitate sessions, make time to connect with their matched mentees, and support the development and implementation of their individualized leadership development plans. 

Leadership Lab is one of the primary ways that AMCHP supports professional and career development for individuals working in or in close relationship with jurisdictional Title V programs. Comprised of five (5) unique cohorts that run concurrently from October 2026 through May 2027, Leadership Lab exposes participants to information and resources that are relevant for their current and future roles; encourages the development and continuous revision of individualized leadership plans; challenges participants through collaborative activities and thoughtful discussions; cultivates a peer learning and accountability network; and provides participants with ongoing support from a matched mentor and AMCHP staff.

The current cohorts include:

New Director Leaders Cohort (NDLC) – for new jurisdictional MCH/CYSHCN Directors 
Management Accelerator Cohort (MAC) – for state/jurisdictional Title V staff at any point in their career arc who are managing programs or domain-specific portfolios.
Family Leaders Cohort (FLC) – for family members of a child or youth served by a Title V program and who has demonstrated some degree of community leadership 
MCH Epi Peer-to-Peer Cohort (MCH Epi P2P) – for epidemiologists and data specialists working in or in partnership with a jurisdictional Title V program 
Adolescent Health Leaders Cohort (AHLC) – for Adolescent Health Coordinators and other professionals seeking to build capacity to address adolescent health priorities

Are you or someone on your staff looking for a great professional development opportunity?  Want to share your passion for MCH with others? Check out the Leadership Lab page of our website for more information – including a description of core program components and application links for both participants and mentors. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 28, and decisions will be communicated to applicants by Monday, September 14.  

Call for Proposals for AMCHP 2027 Opens on August 3

Get ready! The Call for Proposals for the 2027 AMCHP Annual Conference (AMCHP 2027) will open on Monday, August 3. AMCHP 2027, one of the largest gatherings of maternal and child health leaders and thinkers in the U.S., will take place in person in Washington, DC, from March 6 – 9, 2027.

Each year, the AMCHP conference attracts over 1,000 participants from across the country. For AMCHP 2027, presenters will have the opportunity to showcase their work on a prominent stage through various session formats, including Workshops, Lightning Talks, Student and Early Career Professional Grand Rounds, and Discussions, focused on the latest developments in maternal and child health.

Want to get the announcement directly in your inbox? Make sure you are subscribed to the AMCHP Annual Conference mailing list at amchp.org/subscribe.

Over 1,100 MCH Leaders Joined Our July 27 National MCH Strategy Webinar

Thank you to those who joined us for our July 27 National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Strategy webinar. We’re grateful for your interest and enthusiasm as we work towards a shared vision for improving maternal and child health in the United States, creating a common direction for our field that aligns our collective efforts, strengthens collaboration, and positions us to achieve greater impact together.

During this first call, over 1,100 MCH leaders from across the country joined us to learn about the strategy and share their questions regarding the initiative. Whether you joined the call or not, we are excited to share the materials presented during the call so that you are up to speed on what was discussed:

Hot off the press! Make sure to visit the newly launched website for this initiative, www.nationalmchstrategy.org, to learn more about the strategy and access key resources to help you stay engaged with the ongoing developments of this initiative.

Thank You – Membership Assessment Survey Completed

AMCHP would like to express our sincere gratitude to our members who participated in our 2026 Membership Assessment Survey. Your time and feedback are invaluable in assisting us in understanding your needs, evaluating our services and programs, and shaping our future priorities.

We would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jordan Gilber from the Ohio Department of Health, who has been randomly selected among those who completed the survey, to receive a prize as a token of our appreciation for participating and completing it.

Thank you once again for your participation. We look forward to sharing the results of the survey, as well as outlining the improvements that will be implemented based on your feedback.

AMCHP Events & Webinars

MCHAA Federal Advocacy Training Series August 3 and 4

Join the Maternal and Child Health Appropriations Alliance (MCHAA) for a two-day advocacy training series on Monday, August 3, and Tuesday, August 4, from 12:00–1:00 PM ET.

As Congress considers Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 appropriations, continued investment in maternal and child health (MCH) is vital. Join us to learn about four key federal investments: Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) and Healthy Start programs, along with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Project Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health (Project LAUNCH) and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Program. These programs are essential to strengthening MCH systems and improving outcomes for women, infants, children, and families.

During this training, participants will:

Learn about four critical federal maternal and child health programs and their impact on women, infants, children, and families.
Gain practical advocacy skills and strategies to effectively engage Members of Congress and their staff in district offices and on Capitol Hill.
Prepare for meaningful congressional meetings during the August and October recesses and throughout the appropriations process.

Whether you’re new to advocacy or an experienced advocate, this session will provide practical tools and resources to help you effectively communicate the importance of these programs.

Training Details:

Monday, August 3, 12-1 PM ET: HRSA’s SPRANS and Healthy Start programs
Tuesday, August 4, 12-1 PM ET: SAMHSA’s Project LAUNCH and IECMH Program

Upcoming AMCHP Webinar August 27: Sustaining Programming to Address Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Series

Interested in sustaining your work but unsure where to start? Join AMCHP for our new webinar series, “Sustaining Programming to Address Perinatal Substance Use Disorder (SUD).”

This 3-part webinar series is designed to provide participants with a strong grounding in sustainability tools and concepts. During the course of the series, participants will assess the strengths of their own program(s) and identify opportunities for growth as they learn about the different domains of sustainability, including:

Funding Stability
Organizational Capacity
Adaptation
Continuous Quality Improvement

Webinar #2 – Fiscal Stability as a Pathway to Sustainability

Join AMCHP and our partners from Team Lily on August 27, from 3:00 – 4:30 PM ET for an interactive workshop on strategies, tools, and resources to support long-term program sustainability in the perinatal SUD space. This session will focus on fiscal sustainability and practical strategies to secure the resources needed for long-term program success.

What to Expect

Participants should:

Be prepared to engage!
Come with a particular perinatal SUD program or initiative in mind

Participants will:

Learn about sustainability tools and resources to apply to your program.
Hear real-world insights and lessons learned on sustaining perinatal SUD initiatives.
Spend dedicated time in breakout groups with presenters.
Explore strategies to strengthen the fiscal sustainability of your program.

Learn more and register.

Legislation & Policy

Explore our Maternal & Child Health Bill Tracker for more information about pending federal legislation to improve maternal health. Additionally, download AMCHP’s Federal Policy Agenda, which outlines our current advocacy focus.

Subscribe to AMCHP’s Policy Alerts and 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 previous AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Hall! You can find the full recordings of past Town Halls on our Government Affairs webpage.

We will not have a Town Hall in August, but please register to join us for our next edition on September 10, from 2-3 PM ET at this registration link.

Opportunities & Funding

Applications Now Open: National Step Up Together® Action Collaborative

Applications are now open for the next Step Up Together National Action Collaborative, beginning this September.

This virtual learning collaborative brings together interdisciplinary teams from birth centers, home birth practices, hospitals, EMS agencies, and other partners to strengthen emergency preparedness and improve community-to-hospital transfer systems through simulation-based quality improvement.

Over the course of the collaborative, participating teams receive coaching from national faculty, conduct interdisciplinary emergency transfer drills using open-access Step Up Together Drill Kits, and join a community of practice dedicated to improving communication, teamwork, and patient safety across care settings. The model has already been implemented in multiple states and was recently shown to improve participants’ confidence, preparedness, and collaboration in a published evaluation.

This opportunity may be of particular interest to Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) grantees working to strengthen maternal health infrastructure, rural maternity care, emergency preparedness, community birth integration, or cross-sector collaboration.

Applications are being accepted through August 17 for both birth center and planned home birth cohorts. Learn more and apply.

In addition to the national collaborative, Step Up Together also partners with states, health systems, Perinatal Quality Collaboratives, and other stakeholders to launch regional Action Collaboratives and build local implementation capacity through certified facilitator training. If your organization is interested in sponsoring a statewide or regional initiative, contact info@stepuptogether.com.

Free Resource for Job Seekers – The AMCHP Career Center: Connecting Talent with Opportunity

AMCHP offers access to top job opportunities in our industry. Job seekers can access the AMCHP Career Center to search and apply for open positions at no cost, while employers can post their jobs for a fee! Search for Jobs | Post a Job.

Do you know someone who is looking for a new job or opportunity? Share the AMCHP Career Center with them!

Partner Events & Webinars

Register to Join the 2026 Syphilis Solutions Summit: Expanding Screening and Treatment Across the Pregnancy-to-Neonatal Care Continuum

Registration is open for the 2026 Syphilis Solutions Summit: Expanding Screening and Treatment Across the Pregnancy-to-Neonatal Care Continuum. Focused on expanding screening and treatment across the pregnancy-to-neonatal care continuum, this free webinar will be hosted by New Insights in Sexual Health (NISH), a Child Trends project, on Tuesday, August 18, from 1:00-2:30 PM ET.

The event is free and open to anyone working in or interested in public health, maternal and child health, or infectious disease prevention, but registration is required to attend. Register before Sunday, August 16.

Webinar Series: Strengthening Recruitment and Retention in Early Intervention (EI) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Workforce

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC), in collaboration with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA), invites you to join us for a 5-session workforce webinar taking place August through October 2026.

This 5-session webinar series provides state and local leaders with practical, evidence-based strategies to effectively recruit, retain, and sustain a strong workforce in early childhood education, early intervention, and early childhood special education. Drawing on resources from the ECTA, participants will explore key areas of recruitment and retention strategies, including:

Compensation and incentives
“Grow Your Own” pathways
Supportive work environments
Leadership and advancement opportunities
Ongoing professional learning
Public awareness

The sessions will feature real-world examples and interactive planning activities. Each session is designed to help teams translate national guidance into actionable, data-informed workforce solutions.

Session 1: Overview of the Current Workforce Landscape
August 11, 2026, 3:00–4:30 PM ET
Session 2: Attracting the Workforce
August 25, 2026, 3:00–4:30 PM ET
Session 3: Building the Pathways
September 9, 2026, 2:30–4:00 PM ET
Session 4: Retaining the Workforce
September 22, 2026, 3:00–4:30 PM ET
Session 5: Sustaining and Advancing the Workforce
October 13, 2026, 3:00–4:30 PM ET