Climate change and natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent outbreaks, and increased consciousness of domestic and foreign terrorism have heightened awareness of the need for emergency preparedness and response (EPR) within the larger maternal and child health (MCH) community. In response, AMCHP leads and supports jurisdictional health agencies, their partner ecosystems, and a range of professionals to meet the needs of women, children, adolescents, and families across communities. Many of our initiatives are funded by federal entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They address the knowledge and skill development of a dynamic, interconnected workforce and contribute to the overall capacity of states and territories to meet the needs of MCH populations when disasters occur. Our role is to ensure MCH populations’ needs are represented in discussions about and recommendations relevant to emergency preparedness at all levels of government – ultimately leading to better outcomes during response, recovery, and mitigation.
Current Initiatives
Building Resilience from Lived Experience – Brazos County (Texas) Health District
In this series of video clips from a semi-structured interview, a local health agency staff member with a nursing background describes how their community’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic and spikes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases prompted the...
Building Resilience from Lived Experience – South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control
A Nursing Triage Line Connects Residents to Care During Emergencies By South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (Anna Bleasdale) In South Carolina, one of the most frequent challenges we face as a state is preparing for natural disasters,...
Building Resilience from Lived Experience – Cassandra Sines
A Family with Multiple Complex Medical Needs Survives a Pandemic By Cassandra Sines LISTEN TO THIS STORY In March of 2020, when the first news of the virus started surfacing, we really didn’t know what to expect. My husband and I just watched and waited for direction...
Our Team
