Pulse is an AMCHP bi-monthly newsletter featuring a curated selection of insightful, story-driven articles and perspectives centered on critical topics in maternal and child health (MCH). Each edition showcases a collection of contributions authored by AMCHP’s subject matter experts, partners, and collaborators, including families and individuals with lived experience with the challenges AMCHP endeavors to solve.
This newsletter includes a special segment called Pulse Plus, which features articles on various MCH issues and topics relevant to our members and the broader MCH community.
Are you an AMCHP member or partner interested in collaborating on an article for Pulse? Please e-mail us at communications@amchp.org.
Seize this Critical Time to Catch Up on Missed Pediatric Vaccinations and Routine Checkups
By Dr. Michael D. Warren, Pediatrician and Associate Administrator for the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at HRSA As the new school year starts, it’s not only time for fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils. It’s also time to make sure students and families stay...
AMCHP Innovation Hub: 2021 Replication Projects
Each year, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) awards four organizations to replicate a practice from the MCH Innovations Database (formerly known as Innovation Station). If selected, applicants receive tailored technical assistance (TA) and...
Pono Choices: Supporting Implementation of a Culturally Relevant Sexual Health Education Curriculum
Pono Choices is a culturally responsive sexual health education curriculum developed in Hawaii that is designed to provide young adolescents with the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and skills necessary to reduce their risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and...
The Revolutionary Optimists: Reflections from Public Health Professionals on Youth Activism
Bejanchong Foretia, Global Health Committee This year’s AMCHP 2021 Conference centered on the reality of our global connectedness as we all experience a pandemic that continues to tragically take the lives of thousands and challenge our ideas of “normal”....
Community Mobilization Approach to Increase Fatherhood Involvement
Wykinia Culbreth, Georgia Department of Public Health Tiara Giddings, Morehouse School of Medicine The Georgia Department of Public Health (GA DPH) Maternal and Child Health Section within the Division of Health Promotion partnered with the National Fatherhood...
Celebrate Public Health Genetics Week from May 24-28,2021 with NCC
Megan Lyon, MPH, NCC Senior Program Manager The National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Network (NCC), a cooperative agreement from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), works with the seven Regional Genetics Networks (RGNs) and the...
Peer Support as a Pandemic Response Tool
By Alice Wertheimer and Michelle Crawford Introduction In early Spring 2020, the Family Engagement Team of The National MCH Workforce Development Center initiated a six-month peer learning program for Title V Family Leaders from each of the seven state teams...
State Public-Private Partnerships
An Avenue for Cost Savings through Nonprofit Charitable Assistance Programs Nathan Thomson, State Government Affairs, Patients Services, Inc. (PSI) We are living in an era of where safety net systems are increasingly strained and state health budgets are...
Quality Improvement to Support the Transition from Pediatric to Young Adult Health Care
Experiences of the Oregon Children with Medical Complexity CoIIN Team The Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) to Advance Care for Children with Medical Complexity (CMC), which is funded through HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, is a...
Bright Futures
Tools and Resources for Advancing Child and Adolescent Health Through Collaboration with Families and Communities Haily Stillabower, MPH, American Academy of Pediatrics Kathy Janies, American Academy of Pediatrics Jane Bassewitz, MA, American Academy of Pediatrics...
Increased Awareness of Midwifery and Home Birth Options in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Meshawn Tarver, MPH, HBCE, CHC, Doula, Senior Program Manager for Maternal and Child Health Lisa Richardson, PhD, Chief Impact Officer, Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the dynamics of U.S. health care as we know it. Hospitals were...
Using the National Standards as a Framework for Partnering with Others
Augusta Bilbro Director, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program, Mississippi Department of Health - augusta.bilbro@msdh.ms.gov Marsha Stepensky Program Analyst, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, AMCHP - mstepensky@amchp.org Paige...
Meeting Substance Use and Mental Health Needs
Meeting the Substance Use and Mental Health Needs of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Populations during COVID-19: Local and State Health Department Solutions Adelaide Appiah, MPH, NACCHO Jessica Cohen AMCHP Program Analyst, Health Systems Transformation Emily...
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment Season 2021
Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment Season 2021: Educating the Public about their Health Insurance Options Atyya Chaudhry, AMCHP Senior Program Manager, Health Systems Transformation Sara Cariano, Virginia Poverty Law Center, Enroll Virginia In 2018, prior to...
Use the Good Hand Cream
I have a good relationship with my mom. I look to her for advice, we laugh, and have many shared jokes, even though she sometimes drives me a little nuts. Lately, I’ve been pondering a piece of advice she’s imparted to me throughout my life, which is to “use the good...
