from the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health at the University of Minnesota
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llShare International just released a new DVD for health care providers and their Somali patients: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies II.
Available in Somali with English subtitles, the DVD includes important and culturally-sensitive information on reproductive health topics, including:
child spacing
breastfeeding
healthy eating and exercise
C-sections
And more. To order a free copy or for more details, click here and scroll down: http://www.wellshareinternational.org/health-education-videos
The Maternal Child Health Life Course Research Network (MCH-LCRN) recently hosted a webinar with Clyde Hertzman, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership at the University of British Columbia. Hertzman is a leader in the field of life course health development research–you can learn more about his work here:
http://www.chrcrm.org/en/rotm/dr-clyde-hertzman
To view the webinar, click here:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/614159574
(The webinar is only available for Windows 2000 or higher operating systems — sorry, Mac users — and you’ll need a valid email address).
First year MCH student Nicole Steffens tells us about her experience at AMCHP this year:
Adolescent health and public health frameworks, such as the life course model, framed the majority of my experience at AMCHP this year. On Saturday, the Preconception Health Symposium covered various states’ strategies of introducing a preconception framework into state health plans. I was humbled and excited to see that Ohio included teen disability issues into their preconception care discussion. This range allowed a more culturally competent discussion to occur when we broke off into mini-groups. My table discussed issues related to the name and definition of “Preconception Health.” What are the differences between adolescent, sexual, reproductive, and preconception health? By targeting just preconception health, are we disregarding anyone who does not want to have children, or people who cannot have children? Are LGBTQ communities included within these frameworks? The mix of gender, ability, sexual orientation, race, and SES issues all influence how this concept should and can be defined. Although this is an important area of health that should be further explored, after critically analyzing the topic, my group acknowledged that language surrounding the framework should be changed in order to best reach the adolescent and young adult population. Teens will not respond to programs that target their future wellbeing of their children, especially if language focuses on the word “conception.”
Dr. Frisby from the Missouri School of Journalism gave a lecture on how we can target preconception health to adolescents through media campaigns. The idea of language was reiterated as well as the importance of framing the concept in a way teens can relate to. I greatly appreciated her talk because I had never explored the role advertisements have in improving health outcomes. For example, South Carolina’s created a preconception framework using terminology that resonates with the young adult audience. Television, Facebook or internet ads can be extremely successful, if campaigns can connect to their audience. Dr. Frisby mentioned the idea of using focus groups, surveys, or observation to accomplish this as well, an evidence-based needs assessment method.
On Monday, Dr. Blum from Johns Hopkins described research around interventions of connectedness for adolescents. Effective programs work to strengthen adult-teen relationships, offer belonging, provide structure and safety, and link adolescents to communities. Dr. Blum made a statement that resonated with me and how I would like to intervene with teens in the future: “Programs are important, but it is not the program that changes people’s lives. It is the mentor the boy or girl had a connection to that influenced their wellbeing.” Each of these interconnected issues guided my experience with AMCHP and how to best work with this age cohort.
Outside of the educational sessions at AMCHP, I learned about how states were applying their Title V funds as well as the life course model to programs. I had the opportunity to discuss with MCH professionals about their work around the country; networking helped me understand the differing experiences states have with funding and social acceptance that I would normally not have exposure to. The conference was more beneficial for my professional development than any opportunities I have had yet in my MPH career. Through individual direct contact with AMCHP staff and professionals around the country, I hope to continue this journey and learn from more about MCH programs and opportunities around the United States.
One of my favorite sessions from this year’s AMCHP conference:
Hello from Washington DC, our nation’s capital and the stellar venue for this year’s Association of 
Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) conference. Minnesota’s MCH program is certainly well represented in 2011: counting yours truly, we have six current students at the conference along with several gainfully employed graduates. Each morning we convene for coffee and plan our strategies, pens and programs in hand, splitting up the sessions and then going our separate ways. Advocacy, community outreach, data analysis, and policywork — we’re trying to cover a LOT of ground here, people, while also reporting to our colleagues and friends at home.
Some of the workshops have been more interesting than others, of course, but all of us agree that this conference is a great reminder of the important work ahead of us as MCH professionals. In every session, in every coffee chat, in the lobby and in line for the bathroom, we’re surrounded by passionate, articulate practitioners with substantial knowledge of public health both at the state and national level.
So, what are we hearing thus far? Well, incorporating the lifecourse seems to be a major theme, as does rethinking preconception health and transforming data into action. I’ve been hearing a lot more about “packaging” messages for policymakers and constituents, and honestly, this kind of market-speak makes sense, particularly as MCH leaders work with ever-shrinking budgets…
That, by the way, is the other big theme: budget cuts. Everyone I’ve spoken with is anxiously awaiting a decision on the proposed cuts to MCH block grants. As you may have heard, last week House Republicans recommended a 32% decrease in Title V funding — or $210 million dollars for fiscal year 2011. On Friday, those budget cuts were revised to 8% — but that’s still $50 million dollars in cuts to essential programs for our most vulnerable populations. So along with attending sessions, we’re writing letters and making phone calls to our elected officials, and we’d like to encourage you to do the same.
For a press release from the Congressional Appropriations Committee, click here: http://appropriations.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=259&Month=2&Year=2011
And for a synopsis from Kaiser Health News, click here: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2011/February/12/GOP-health-cuts.aspx
