April 6, 2023

Back to Member Briefs

April 6, 2023

COVID-19 Resources

COVID-19 Data Modernization

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed expectations for public health, especially the speed at which credible health information is delivered. It created an opportunity to further transform how the data is collected, used, and shared at CDC and beyond. That momentum won’t stop when the public health emergency ends on May 11. CDC will continue tracking and reporting COVID-19 data, with some changes, while improving readiness for the next public health emergency.

The Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) is a solution from CDC to the challenges public health has faced for too long, which have been highlighted during the pandemic. Through the initiative, CDC is creating a world in which data can move faster than disease. The ultimate goal is to get better, faster, actionable data for decision-making at all levels of public health. [read more]

AMCHP COVID-19 Resources and Vaccination Pages 

AMCHP is committed to working alongside our federal agency and organizational partners to gather available information, resources, and guidance specific to our maternal and child health (MCH) population during the COVID-19 pandemic. These resources are on our website for your convenience and are updated regularly as untapped resources become available. Find out more about vaccinating MCH populations to stay up to date on well-care during the pandemic here.

AMCHP Announcements

Never miss our updates! Sign up for our newsletters here, and follow us on Twitter (@DC_AMCHP), LinkedIn (Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs), Facebook (AMCHPofficial), and Instagram (@DC_AMCHP).

Nominations for the 2023 AMCHP Board of Directors Election are Open Through April 19

The Governance Committee announced that it is seeking nominations for the 2023 AMCHP Board of Directors election. As a board director, you would help shape the policies and positions of AMCHP, represent your Title V peers from across the country, ensure the organization’s future viability and financial stability, work directly with federal partners, and gain leadership experience in a national association. Nominations will remain open from March 29 through April 19 unless further notice is provided. AMCHP member delegates are encouraged to consider applying.

The following are now open for nominations as of March 29, for elections to be held in late April 2023: 

Region II Director [NY, NJ, PR, VI]
Region III Director [DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV]
Region V Director [IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI]
Region VII Director [IA, KS, MO, NE]
Family Representative

Read the full announcement to learn more about the responsibilities, terms, eligibility requirements, and the steps to apply or nominate someone for these vacancies. For more information, please contact Nikeisha Ogletree, Chief Operating Officer, at nogletree@amchp.org.

New MCH Bridges Podcast – Healing Through Breastfeeding: Honoring the Past, Investing in the Future

Our newest MCH Bridges episode is now live! Episode 13– “Healing Through Breastfeeding: Honoring the Past, Investing in the Future“

This interview-episode highlights the journeys of Kimarie and Dalecia as they found their passion and purpose in helping lactating people achieve their breastfeeding goals. Intertwining lived experience and the desire to make a difference, you will hear how Dalecia and Kimarie found their calling in breastfeeding work. You will learn about how breastfeeding has been a healing journey and a way to reconnect with our past. You will also hear about the ongoing challenges in accessing adequate and culturally appropriate breastfeeding, especially for black and brown communities.

Tune in now to hear host Atyya Chaudhry and our guest speakers talk about their lived experience as breastfeeding mothers and how their personal experiences fueled their professional journeys.

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. 

Registration for NBDPN 2023 is Open

NBDPN Conference Banner alerting the date; August 14-16, 2023; location, Atlanta, Georgia; and theme, Connect. Share. Collaborate. Also pictured is a digitized image of a pregnant woman on the far left.

Registration for the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN) Conference, held August 14-16 in Atlanta, GA, is now open! Please visit this link to register. Visit the website to learn about the conference and information regarding registration, hotel, and much more. For questions about this event, please contact NBDPNmeetings@conferencemanagers.com. We hope to see you there!

Recent AMCHP Announcements

AMCHP Annual Conference 

AMCHP 2023 Annual Conference Banner includes an icon of a human holding their hands up with different shades of green leaves above it so it looks like it's growing. Next to it is the theme displayed in green, "Cultivating Diverse Leaders in Maternal & Child Health", and the date/location of the conference in white on a brown rectangle background, "May 6-9, 2023 | New Orleans, LA"

Get ready for the 2023 AMCHP Annual Conference, held from May 6 – 9 at the New Orleans Marriot in New Orleans, Louisiana, and virtually through our virtual conference platform! The theme of AMCHP 2023 is Cultivating Diverse Leaders in Maternal and Child Health. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list to be the first to receive updates and information about the conference!

Register for AMCHP 2023

You still have time to register to attend AMCHP 2023 in person or virtually! As of March 28, nearly 900 people have already registered, with 80% attending in person and 20% virtually. Join MCH leaders and thinkers at AMCHP 2023!

View rates and register here.

Community-Based Organization (CBO) and Tribal Entity Conference Scholarships

Infographic inviting to apply for AMCHP's CBO and Tribal Entity Conference Scholarships. Describes what the scholarships are, what you can use them for, and eligibility criteria all found at https://create.piktochart.com/output/57335393-cbo-tribal-entity-scholarship_2023. Do you work at a community-based organization (CBO) or represent a tribal entity? Interested in attending the AMCHP 2023 Conference?  AMCHP invites you to apply for our Community-Based Organization (CBO) and Tribal Entity Conference Scholarships! AMCHP recognizes the value in having community members, those working at community-based organizations, and those representing tribal entities participate in the Annual Conference as a way to share their expertise and insights while learning from and networking with others. At the same time, AMCHP acknowledges that attending the conference can be cost prohibitive. To help reduce this barrier, AMCHP will be offering approximately 10 need-based scholarships. These scholarships can be used for conference registration or to support participation in the conference (i.e., childcare). Complete this brief survey to submit a request for a scholarship by April 7.

Have questions? Please contact evidence@amchp.org

Health & Safety at AMCHP 2023

Visit our Health and Safety page to learn about our practices and policies at AMCHP 2023. Updates will be posted on this page as we continue to monitor conditions and local and national guidance.

View the Conference Schedule

AMCHP released the schedule of 57 workshops, nine skill-building sessions, and two round tables at AMCHP 2023. Visit our conference website to browse sessions by date, track, speaker, or by doing a keyword search. All sessions are displayed in Central Time (CT). Start creating your list of must-see sessions today!

Visit the Conference Platform

Visit our conference platform to view the updated full schedule (which includes opportunities for networking and skill-building sessions as well as plenty of impactful workshops and inspiring plenary sessions.), hotel and travel information, exhibits and sponsor information, and much more!

New Orleans & Co Welcomes AMCHP to the City of New Orleans

AMCHP is thankful to New Orleans & Company, the former New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOCVB), for welcoming us and our annual conference to the beautiful and charming city of New Orleans. Watch the video at this link!

Are you attending AMCHP 2023 in person? Make sure to check out these excellent resources available at New Orleans and Company’s website:

Snapshot of the Virtual Conference Experience

Registered to attend AMCHP 2023 virtually? We strive to provide virtual participants with a meaningful experience that is flexible for any schedule. Here are a few of the items to look forward to:

Watch all three live-streamed plenaries, participate in the discussion chat with other participants, and ask questions of plenary speakers via the conference platform.
Participate in one live-streamed workshop during each concurrent workshop session where you can ask presenters questions; in-person AMCHP staff will be a bridge to asking questions, and you will also have a dedicated virtual AMCHP staff person in your workshop session.
Virtual participants will have access to view any uploaded documents (e.g., slides, handouts, etc.) for ALL sessions, including in-person sessions.
Participate in three rounds of live virtual workshops on May 9, where you can pick which workshop to attend; these will happen live via Zoom.
Access more than 100 posters on the conference platform.
Virtual networking opportunities (more information coming soon!)
Dedicated AMCHP staff who will support your virtual conference experience.

Learn more about the virtual conference experience at this link. For more information, please view the full schedule on our conference platform.

Support CBOs, Tribal Government Representatives, and Youth at Our Upcoming Annual Conference

Graphic calling to support community based organizations, tribal government representatives, and youth at the Annual Conference. Learn more at www.bit.ly/2023-Letter. On behalf of AMCHP and its local, state, and national partners, Board President Belinda Pettiford and CEO Terrance E. Moore encourage you to consider inviting and financially supporting youth and young adult leaders (including students), family leaders, community‐based organizations (CBOs), and representatives of tribal entities involved with your MCH efforts to attend the upcoming AMCHP Annual Conference which will be held in‐person and virtually from May 6-9, 2023. [learn more]

New Blog Posts

Sharing How AMCHP Supports the Cultivation of Diverse Leaders in MCH: Given this year’s theme, Cultivating Diverse Leaders in Maternal and Child Health, we are especially eager to hear and share stories from a variety of perspectives through the Sharing Your How project – a plenary session of our conference where we aim to learn how your community is cultivating diverse leaders in MCH. AMCHP strives to invest substantial time and energy into establishing spaces for youth, students, family leaders, early career professionals, and those in leadership roles to foster this aim. AMCHP is also committed to elevating and integrating perspectives from across MCH into the field’s priorities. We would like to open this conversation by sharing how AMCHP does this. [read more]
Nurturing the Now: An AMCHP 2023 Youth-Led Plenary Session: AMCHP aims to exemplify this year’s conference theme through our closing plenary session: “Nurturing the Now.” We are so excited to provide a space that amplifies youth voices, emphasizing the importance of cultivating diverse leaders. We will demonstrate the power of authentic youth engagement efforts within maternal and child health (MCH). We also want to provide participants with tools and inspiration for how they can incorporate authentic youth engagement methods into their own work and communities. Now more than ever, we must support our current and future generations of young leaders to bring forth the change they want to see in the world. [read more]
The AMCHP 2023 Virtual Experience: What to Expect and How to Get the Most Out of Your Virtual Conference Experience: AMCHP is excited to host its first-ever hybrid conference and welcome virtual attendees from across the U.S. and all nine U.S.-affiliated jurisdictions! We’re confident that virtual attendees will have a meaningful conference experience, get to network with other virtual attendees, engage with content and presenters during live sessions, and leave the conference feeling energized with new ideas and connections. [read more]

Continuing Education

Continuing education for this activity is pending. Stay tuned for the final announcement for details.

Voices of AMCHP

Marcus Johnson-Miller, Treasurer (2022-2024)

As part of our Voices of AMCHP series, designed to highlight our dedicated Board members and their work, we invited Marcus Johnson-Miller to share some insights on his background, experience serving on AMCHP’s Board of Directors, and his advice for young MCH professionals.

What motivated you to join AMCHP’s Board of Directors?

Over my career, I have always appreciated the way that AMCHP supports state Title V programs. I wanted to give back to the organization that has provided so much assistance to our state.

What motivated you to work in the maternal and child health (MCH) field?

As I think back to my motivation to keep working in MCH, there are two reasons that I always come back to. Growing up in rural Iowa, I remember the lack of access to services. I have always been interested in ensuring that all Iowans have access to health and other supportive services. Secondly, shortly after graduating from college, one of my closest friends died due to complications related to preeclampsia at the age of 25, one week after giving birth to her first child. She was active and healthy. I want to make sure that this doesn’t keep happening to women. If we do this work right, we are setting families up to be successful throughout their entire lives.

Thinking about the 2023 AMCHP Annual Conference theme, Cultivating Diverse Leaders in Maternal and Child Health, what can other established MCH professionals like yourself do to empower young leaders?

Listen to what the young leaders are telling us! The ways that young people communicate and engage are very different from how I communicated at their age. We need to be open to adapting what we do to meet the current needs of young leaders.

Read the full interview here.

AMCHP Events & Webinars

Coffee Chats with AMCHP CEO Series: MCH Talent

Join our Workforce and Leadership Development Committee for a series of Coffee Chats with AMCHP CEO, Terrance E. Moore to discuss one of the core areas of our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan: Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Talent.

From these discussions, we hope to provide our members and current/potential partners with:

An overview of available workforce-related data relevant to the MCH field;
An open forum to share and gather strategies that AMCHP can implement to achieve our MCH talent and workforce objectives; and
Opportunities to inform and guide our strategic plan.

Mark your calendars and register for these three conversations, each focusing on the objectives above:

April 24, 1:00-2:15 PM ET (Virtual, Register here)
May 8, 3:30-4:30 CT (In person at the AMCHP Annual Conference)
June 20, 1:00-2:15 PM ET (Virtual, Members register here)

AMCHP TA Virtual Roundtable Series: Exploring Birth Defects Surveillance Programs and Title V Partnerships

Please join us for the first session of our Virtual Roundtable Series: “Exploring Birth Defects Surveillance Programs & Title V Partnerships,” on April 19 from 3-4:30 PM ET. Hear how the South Carolina Bureau of Maternal and Child Health is coordinating referrals to services between their Birth Defects Program, Children’s Health and Perinatal Services (CHPS), and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI). Following the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with peers nationwide and share challenges and strategies to linking families to care. Register now!

Celebrating Autistic Joy Fireside Chat

The theme of our State Public Health Autism Resource Center’s (SPHARC) 2023 Autism Acceptance Month activities is: Celebrating Autistic Joy. SPHARC and its Autistic Faculty are hosting a virtual fireside chat on Thursday, April 27 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET.

Presenters will share what celebrating Autistic joy means for them. Then there will be a question-and-answer session with the audience. Register for the virtual fireside chat here.

The Autistic Faculty chose this year’s theme because too often, Autism Acceptance Month activities focus on the challenging parts of being autistic. This year’s theme is focused on talking about the strengths, special interests, and passions of Autistic people. The fireside chat will be moderated by the Autistic Faculty. More information about the presenters during the fireside chat will be posted on SPHARC’s Autism Acceptance Month website. For questions, email the SPHARC team at: spharc@amchp.org.

About SPHARC’s 2023 Autism Acceptance Month activities:

SPHARC’s 2023 Autism Acceptance Month activities are being planned with SPHARC’s Autistic Faculty. These activities will include:

A podcast episode with our Autistic Faculty (to be released in late April)
A virtual fireside chat about “Celebrating Autistic Joy” (April 27 from 3-4 PM ET)
Featuring “Celebrating Autistic Joy” content on our website and social media

Webinar Recording Available! Perinatal Substance Use: National and State Public Health Strategies

AMCHP & ASTHO hosted a webinar on March 27 featuring the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). ONDCP shared its priorities for improving maternal health outcomes and expanding access to evidence-based treatment for perinatal populations, as outlined in two reports: (1) Substance Use Disorder in Pregnancy: Improving Outcomes for Families and (2) Model Substance Use During Pregnancy and Family Care Plans Act. The presentation also included recommendations and opportunities to strengthen local MCH behavioral health systems based on lessons learned from Vermont’s CHARM (Children and Recovering Mothers) Program. Access the recording here.

Innovation Hub Learning Community: Join Our Webinar Series

AMCHP is excited to announce the launch of the Innovation Hub Learning Community (IHLC). The IHLC is the latest evolution of the programmatic support and learning opportunities offered through Innovation Hub and is an expansion of the previous Cutting-Edge Learning Community (CELC).

Throughout the year, AMCHP will be hosting four webinars on topics related to programmatic best practices that all MCH professionals and advocates are welcome to attend. Additional peer-sharing and coaching opportunities are available for existing practices in the MCH Innovations Database.

The IHLC Webinar Series: The webinar series will focus on skills and strategies that you can apply to your work to improve your organizational processes, expand the scope and impact of your practice, and plan for program sustainability.

Click below to register for the IHLC’s upcoming webinars (all at 3 PM ET):

May 23: Starting from Your Strengths: Planning for Sustainability
August 24: Expanding Your Impact: Preparing to Scale Up Your Practice
November 28: Who’s Guiding Your Choices: Centering Community in Evidence-Based Decision Making

Looking for more information on the IHLC? Check out our website under the technical assistance tab or email us at evidence@amchp.org with any questions!

AMCHP Information & Resources

Newly Revamped Maternal and Child Health Bill Tracker is Available

AMCHP is excited to announce the revamp of our Maternal & Child Health Bill Tracker – A tool for professionals and individuals interested in federal legislation focused on improving and advancing maternal and child health (MCH).

It now offers new features to ensure the inclusion of additional MCH topics in alignment with our strategic plan, AMCHP Future 2027. The revamped bill tracker includes:

Option to search legislation introduced in the current Congress (118th) benefiting both maternal and child health populations.
Broader scope to also include legislation that would advance reproductive health in recognition of its connection with maternal health outcomes.
Quick and easy-to-read information.
Additional filter options to sort through legislation.
Pivotal MCH bills passed in previous Congresses.

Our bill tracker is updated regularly to track legislation benefitting the health of women, children, and families. You can also sign up to receive our legislative alerts, learn more about our policy and advocacy efforts by visiting our website, and explore the AMCHP 2023 Federal Policy Agenda.

New Addition AMCHP’s MCH Essentials Series Library: Centering Equity Through Evidence

AMCHP is excited to announce that a new module has been added to the MCH Essentials Series titled Centering Equity Through Evidence! This module is designed to provide current and aspiring MCH professionals, youth/adolescents, and families with the latest information and insights on the development and utilization of MCH evidence that centers people with lived experience. In addition, this new module will help readers deepen their understanding of how evidence comes in many forms, including the perspectives of people with lived experience. We thank you for your continued support and are excited to share our new module.

Medicaid Redetermination is Here!

To ensure coverage for children and families during the pandemic, states have provided continuous enrollment for all Medicaid beneficiaries since March 2020. But the continuous coverage provision is ending, and all Medicaid enrollees, including children, must be redetermined for eligibility within a one-year period, beginning April 1, 2023. Medicaid and CHIP provide critical health benefits for many children and families across the country. MCH programs are trusted community messengers and can play an important role in supporting families during this process.

AMCHP has a new fact sheet that provides an overview of the Medicaid redetermination process, shares tips and strategies for MCH professionals, and includes a robust list of resources from national and local partners.  AMCHP and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families recently hosted a webinar on this topic, which provides important details on the unwinding of Medicaid continuous enrollment and the impact this may have on families and particularly children. Listen to the recording here. As the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision is unwinding, we want to hear from you! Please use this jamboard link to share what you are hearing and experiencing in your state.  

AMCHP Mental Health Corner

Mental health is an important component of well-being for maternal, child, and adolescent health (MCAH) populations. Read more about AMCHP’s organizational work on mental health and substance use here.

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

New Post Alert! Discover Evidence-Based Strategies for Promoting Young Adult Mental Health in the latest #ScreenToInterveneForAYAs Blog Post

This latest blog post features an important issue brief on the mental health status and needs of young adults. Developed by a team from the Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Resource Center, this brief provides the most recent national findings on young adult mental health, summarizes evidence-based resources for mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment, and suggests activities that can be done at both the personal and community levels to improve mental health and access to services for young adults. With mental health conditions rising among young adults both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this issue brief is a must-read for anyone working to elevate and champion the mental health needs of this important population. Read the post here.

AMCHP National Policy Calls

AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls

Thank you to those of you who joined us for AMCHP Policy and Partnerships Town Halls. You can find the full recordings of past Town Halls here. Town Halls occur on the second Thursday of every month from 2-3 PM ET. We invite you to register for all future Town Halls at this link.

Legislation & Policy

Explore our Maternal Health Bill Tracker for more information about pending federal legislation to improve maternal health.

Explore the AMCHP 2023 Federal Policy Agenda

Interested in learning about our 2023 Federal Policy Agenda? Download it from our website! Our 2023 Federal Policy Agenda outlines where AMCHP intends to focus our advocacy work on in the coming year and reinforces AMCHP’s acknowledgment of racism as a public health crisis that directly impacts the health outcomes of our communities and those we serve. In it, we also reiterate our commitment to evaluating policies through the lens of dismantling racism and pursuing health equity and racial equity.

In 2023, AMCHP will play a leadership role to advance policies that:

Fund the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant at $1 billion, including a robust increase for the state formula, for FY2024 to improve the health of all women, children and youth, including those with special health care needs, and families.
Prioritize MCH populations in the context of public health emergencies with particular emphasis on communities that are disproportionately impacted, including communities of color and children and youth with special health care needs.
Improve maternal and infant health and eliminate racial and ethnic inequities in maternal and infant health outcomes, including policies designed to reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity.

Please visit our website to continue exploring our 2023 Federal Policy Agenda and our other policy areas. Make sure you also sign up to receive our legislative alerts directly in your inbox and register to participate in our monthly Policy and Partnership Town Halls.

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. 

Newly Available HRSA Funding Opportunities

The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) recently released three funding opportunities focused on improving maternal health outcomes. Any domestic public or private entity is eligible to apply to these opportunities, as well as domestic faith-based and community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations. Find summary details for these and other open HRSA MCHB funding opportunities here.

The recently released opportunities are:

Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Capacity
- Number of Awards: 29
- Up to $200K per award per year
- Closing Date: May 9
Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Technical Assistance (TA) Center
- Number of Awards: 1
- Up to $3 million per year
- Closing Date: May 9
Integrated Maternal Health Services (IMHS)
- Number of Awards: 5
- Up to $1.8 million per award per year
- Closing Date: May 24

Interested in understanding more about applying for these and other upcoming HRSA funding? Watch the March 16 recorded webinar, Upcoming Funding Opportunities.

Publications & Resources

Essential Elements for Developmental and Behavioral/Social/Emotional Screening Using Bright Futures in Title V Programs

An important part of health supervision for children and families is universal screening – an opportunity to identify potential developmental and behavioral/social/emotional concerns and intervene early. Using Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 4th Edition and the Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule), Title V agencies can promote appropriate and timely screening for infants, children, adolescents, and families by their programs and partners. In a new tip sheet, AMCHP recommends five elements Title V agencies should have in place as part of any program that supports health supervision visits, whether the agency provides direct care itself or funds local health agencies or other community organizations. View and download now.