Welcome to our August edition of Pulse. I hope all of you are having a relaxing and enjoyable summer. I reflect back on AMCHP’s annual conference, Partnering with Purpose in Oakland, California during mid-April and am proud of what we accomplished. Attendance was record-breaking—more than 1,300 MCH leaders and thinkers participated in person or virtually.

Oakland proved to be the ideal place to hold the conference due to the city’s rich, diverse cultural heritage and our shared vision of the need to reinforce social justice and enhance health equity. I enjoyed partaking in new innovative experiences this year, including an opening reception at the Oakland Museum of California and art experiences delivered by a local artist and curator. We also celebrated Black Maternal Health Week through many learning opportunities, including uplifting plenary speeches featuring Congresswoman Lauren Underwood on the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act as well as three other Champions of Change.

My expectations were exceeded as I participated in the information sharing, networking, skill-building work, and diverse array of interactive plenary and breakout sessions. I was inspired by the intentionality with which existing partnerships were invigorated and new partnerships were cultivated. I was thrilled to see participants relaxing, mingling, and enjoying some “down-time” in the new quiet spaces designed for this conference.    

I want to thank the AMCHP staff; Board members; conference planning committee; members; partners (special shout-out to the Black maternal health organizations and leaders who went the extra mile during Black Maternal Health Week); family leaders; speakers; and exhibitors who contributed their knowledge and expertise to this conference.

Save the Date!

AMCHP’s next two Annual Conferences will be held in Washington, DC on:

• March 15–18, 2025
• March 7–10, 2026

Our conference planning committee has already started planning the AMCHP 2025 Annual Conference, and this month, we launched the call for proposals under the theme “Partnering for Impact.”

Partnering for Impact captures our collective commitment to making our world better and takes us a step further in our purposeful partnerships towards the “why” – we partner to make things happen. This theme places results and what we hope to accomplish together in the spotlight. We model partnering intentionally to change the status quo, disrupt harmful narratives, and close the gaps in MCH outcomes. We partner not just because it looks good on paper or because it feels good to work with like-minded people but because we want to impact our communities for the better. We are difference-makers. We are change-makers. We are partnering for impact. 

Subscribe to our annual conference mailing list to be among the first to get information about our conference.

New Board of Directors

AMCHP’s Board of Directors elections now comprises 18 members. Transitions, re-elections, and new appointments 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), Linda H. Starnes (Family Representative), and Nikki Dyer (Family Representative).

Many thanks to Lisa Asare for her excellent work as Board President; we look forward to her serving as Past President.

We also appreciate Belinda Pettiford for her devotion to AMCHP over the past years as the Region 4 Representative, Board President, and Past President and wish her continued success! Congratulations to all!

The New AMCHP Logo: A Symbol of Opportunity and Renewed Hope

This month, AMCHP launched our new logo, the result of a collaborative effort that brought together the AMCHP staff and Board of Directors to support our strategic plan and communications and branding goals.

The new AMCHP logo features the AMCHP wordmark and our organization’s full name, as well as a new set of silhouettes reflecting the diversity of the population we serve. A semicircle sits behind the silhouettes, resembling a rising sun and symbolizing opportunity and renewed hope.

This logo and other brand elements align with our goal of improving the accessibility of our communications and resources as our organization continues its journey to 2027.

New Addition to AMCHP’s Strategic Map

 AMCHP has recently updated our Strategic Map to include a new core area:  

 

• Organizational Culture and Infrastructure—We aim to modernize important internal processes and infrastructure and sharpen fiscal stewardship. We also aim to fully integrate all of AMCHP’s core values to generate a distinct, rich organizational culture of belonging. This area of the strategic map aims to make visible the often hidden work of organizations, which is deeply influential for how we operate as an equity-centered anti-racist organization.

Stay Tuned for a New Round of Coffee Chats

We will soon be announcing a new round of Coffee Chats. These sessions aim to provide members and current and potential partners with an open forum to share information and develop strategies to improve maternal and child health outcomes. The focus remains on expanding intentional partnerships and ensuring we are creating the space to innovate with impact!

To ensure AMCHP’s services and products meet or exceed the mark, we solicit feedback using a variety of methods: surveys, one-on-one engagements, and personal conversations. We take your input seriously. I also encourage anyone in the MCH field, including family leaders and advocates facing challenges addressing local MCH needs, to schedule a time to talk with me informally.   

COMING SOON: AMCHP Membership Directory

This new directory will be a vital resource providing access to key figures in the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) sectors across states and territories. It aims to be AMCHP’s professional home for the entire MCH/CYSHCN ecosystem. The directory will include all 10 regions, encompassing more than 750 MCH members, with their areas of knowledge and expertise.

The directory will feature member-filtering options by name, territory, and population domain and include detailed information about each state and territory’s health department, AMCHP profile, MCH action plan, and AMCHP members. This initiative enhances AMCHP’s ability to represent, amplify, and learn from the entire MCH/CYSHCN community. The public will also find it easier to connect with important MCH professionals.

This Pulse Issue

The August issue includes a couple of articles on attendees’ experiences at the AMCHP 2024 Oakland conference and a picture album. If you attended the conference, please look for yourself in the album and consider sharing the pictures on social media with the hashtag #AMCHP2024. Let’s keep the conference conversations going.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of Pulse!