
Pulse is AMCHP’s bi-monthly online magazine. Each issue focuses on a different topic and is shared with the entire AMCHP family, including members, partners, and others interested in MCH issues. Never miss our updates! Sign up for our newsletters to receive the latest in maternal and child health news and AMCHP publications straight to your inbox. Subscribe now

March of Dimes: 85 Years of Fighting to Help Improve the Health of All Moms, Babies and Families
By Kiana Hardy, MPH, Project Manager, March of Dimes Background For 85 years, March of Dimes has helped millions of families be healthy and strong in communities like yours and across the country. Our journey began at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis,...
Updated Autism Diagnosis Numbers: The Role of Maternal and Child Health Programs in Addressing Continued Disparities
Paige Falion, MS, Associate Director, Child Health and Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) On March 23, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest...
Approaching Maternal and Child Health Work with Cultural Humility: A Conceptual Model for Hastening Change
By Stacey Tuck, Director of Programs, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Background In the United States, birth experiences and their related maternal and infant health outcomes are troubling for all races and ethnicities. However, the...
Spotlight on a Maternal and Child Health Case at the Supreme Court of the United States: Luna Perez v Sturgis Public Schools
By Sabra Anckner, RN, MSN, Associate Director, Clinical & Community Collaboration, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Occasionally, AMCHP will recap Supreme Court decisions that impact the maternal and child health community. These...
A Message from Our CEO, Terrance E. Moore
Welcome to the April edition of Pulse! This issue highlights my lively chat session with outgoing AMCHP Board President, Belinda Pettiford, MPH. She graciously shared so many parts of her life story; her perspectives on AMCHP accomplishments and views of the most...
Interview with AMCHP Outgoing Board President, Belinda Pettiford, MPH
In early April, AMCHP Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Terrance E. Moore, interviewed Belinda Pettiford so we could all learn more about her professional and personal life. Belinda had many interesting insights. A Fun Fact Many people assume that Belinda has children...
Celebrating Legislative Accomplishments and Looking Ahead
By Amy Haddad, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Looking Back The second half of the 117th Congress in 2022 ended as so many have before it. Negotiations on an end-of-year spending and legislative package...
The 2023 Perinatal Behavioral Health Policy Landscape
By Jessica Simon, Program Manager, Health Systems Transformation, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Introduction The most recent Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data indicates that approximately one in three people...
Looking Ahead: The End of the COVID-19 Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement
By Atyya Chaudhry, Senior Program Manager, Health Systems Transformation, Association for Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) In March 2020, shortly after the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) was declared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Families...
Save 7,500 Babies: Elevating the Conversation on Stillbirth Prevention in 2023 Through Prevention Initiatives, Legislation, and Education
By Emily Price, Chief Executive Officer, Healthy Birth Day, Inc. Background While miscarriage is usually defined as the loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy, stillbirth is commonly defined as the loss of a baby at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The latest...
Motherhood Village: Connecting & Supporting Moms Virtually Through the Pandemic
By Ashley Lugo, M.S.W. (2023), Founder & Executive Director, Choosing Kind, and Julia Choe-Castillo, M.P.H., M.S.W. (2023), Program Consultant, Choosing Kind Choosing Kind provides mothers with resources and encouragement to thrive as individuals and within the...
A Message from our CEO
By Terrance E. Moore, MA, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) As we begin to wind down the calendar year, let us pause and celebrate success! This issue of Pulse, A Celebration of Title V Maternal and Child...
A Message from AMCHP Board President Belinda Pettiford
By Belinda Pettiford, President, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and Chief of the Women, Infant, and Community Wellness Section, North Carolina Division of Public Health Greetings to all! I am pleased to greet you as AMCHP’s Board...
Reflections
By Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP, Associate Administrator, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration As 2022 comes to a close, we here at the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau...
Celebrating Title V Innovations Featured in the Association of Maternal & Child Health Program’s (AMCHP’s) Innovation Hub
By Catalina DeSouza, Evidence & Implementation Intern, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Laura Powis, Program Manager, Evidence-Based Policy & Practice, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Nikki Dyer, Family...
