
Climate change and natural disasters, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 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, the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) leads and supports programs and professionals to meet the needs of diverse MCH communities. Our programs are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources Services Administration, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. AMCHP aims to increase states’ capacity to engage in disaster and emergency preparedness to meet the needs of MCH populations. Our role is to ensure MCH populations’ needs are represented in discussions about and recommendations relevant to emergency preparedness at the national and state levels.
Current Initiatives

Building Resilience from Lived Experience
AMCHP’s Collection of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Stories Public health emergencies have and will continue to reveal the critical importance of planning for and responding to the needs of women, children, and families, including those with...
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...
Building Resilience from Lived Experience – Louisiana Department of Health
Newborn Screening Follow-Up in a Public Health Emergency –Hurricane Ida By Louisiana Department of Health (Cheryl Harris, Jantz Malbrue, Ngoc Huynh) Listen to this story This is a testimonial of when staff from Louisiana’s Department of Health, Office of Public Health...
Our Team
