Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This online tool presents an overview of the "100 Weeks Project" by United States of Care, an initiative dedicated to addressing maternal health, particularly postpartum care, with a goal of ensuring women have comprehensive benefits for a full year after pregnancy by 2030. It maps the entire maternal journey—preconception, pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum—focusing on the disproportionate challenges faced by Black women, who are significantly more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes. The resource highlights pain points within the healthcare system, such as fragmented coverage, racial bias, and a lack of support for mental health and breastfeeding, alongside "bright spots" like community organizations and culturally-concordant care. State-level data illustrates disparities in access to perinatal health workers, postpartum depression screening rates, and insurance coverage for essential services like doula and lactation consultation. Ultimately, the project uses firsthand narratives and clinical data to advocate for systemic change and improved support throughout the critical 100-week period.

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Blacks, Healthcare disparities, Maternal health, Preconception care, Pregnancy, Prenatal care: Postpartum care

Annotation: The purpose of this report is to provide technical assistance to individuals working to improve student performance in American public schools. Examples of specific techniques that address barriers to student learning and data to support these techniques are highlighted within this document. Areas covered include (1) enhancing classroom-based efforts to enable learning, (2) providing student and family assistance, (3) responding to and preventing crises, (4) supporting transitions, (5) increasing home involvement in schooling, and (6) outreach for greater community involvement and support. [Support in part by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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Keywords: Academic achievement, Barriers, Community participation, Knowledge level, Learning, Mental health, Parent participation

Annotation: This report examines the use of technology to overcome barriers to learning. Topics include information systems management, multimedia aids to facilitate intervention, in situ and distance learning, and model programs and guides. A list of additional references is also included. [Funded in part by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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Keywords: Barriers, Education, Information systems, Intervention, Learning, Mental health, Model programs, Technology

Annotation: This project attempted to improve the health status of children in families in which one or both parents have mental retardation by reducing the risks associated with lack of immunization, poor nutrition, undiagnosed medical or developmental problems, injuries, and inadequate early stimulation. Efforts included both direct services (such as immunization, screening, and home care programs) and a consultation and technical assistance program aimed at improving the accessibility of the service delivery system for these children. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Barriers to Health Care, Health Education, High risk children, High risk groups: Families, Mental Retardation, Parents, Parents with disabilities, Preventive Health Care, Primary Care

Annotation: This resource provides a geographic representation of child health in the United States. Contents include national and state-specific data on pediatric health care delivery at the Primary Care Service Area level. A range of maps is available including the number of children under age 18 per pediatrician, the number of children in linguistically-isolated households, median household income, the number of pediatric residents and fellows, and estimated vaccine coverage rates. An interactive mapping tool is available to members of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Children, Data sources, Geographic regions, Health care disparities, Immunization, Integrated information systems, Interactive media, Language barriers, Low income groups, Patient care planning, Pediatricians, Statewide planning, Work force

Annotation: These 12 case studies report on cutting-edge programs and innovative approaches to address the leading causes of death and disease in cities.

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Keywords: Barriers, Case studies, Cities, Data sources, Health status, Health status disparities, Healthy People 2020, Public health infrastructure, Systems development

Annotation: This issue brief provides background information on rural healthcare access and focuses attention on the need for national, state, and community-based organizations to collaborate on developing an action plan to improve access to maternal health care and improve outcomes for rural women and their babies. It addresses the challenges that rural women face before, during, and after pregnancy and highlights promising approaches and opportunities to improve maternal health care in rural communities. Six case studies address several factors contributing to problems accessing maternal health care in rural communities, including workforce shortages and access to care challenges associated with social determinants of health. They illustrate efforts to stabilize rural hospital obstetrical services, regionalization and coordination of care, quality improvement initiatives, training and guideline development, provider recruitment and retention strategies, and expansion of care models

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Keywords: Barriers, Case studies, Health care access, Health equity, Maternal health, Rural health, Rural population, Statistics

Annotation: This report provides a description of perinatal oral health, including its significance and background, barriers to accessing oral health care for this population, and a strategic framework for improving perinatal oral health. It also includes guidelines and recommendations, research evidence, and state practice examples. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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Keywords: Access to health care, Barriers, Infant health, Initiatives, Oral health, Perinatal health, Pregnant women

Annotation: This article from Grantmakers In Health (GIH) describes a collaborative effort by funders to address gaps in postpartum care following the extension of Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months after birth. The piece discusses how a workgroup of funders—including Pritzker Children's Initiative, Merck for Mothers, and Community Health Acceleration Partnership—formed in 2023 to identify opportunities for improving postpartum care systems. The article includes a visual diagram that illustrates the multi-layered challenges in postpartum care on three levels: individual, community, and system. This concentric circle diagram shows how issues such as standards of care, access to quality care, care fragmentation, and policy misalignment (at the system level) interact with community-level challenges like administrative burden and workforce shortages, as well as individual-level factors including awareness of needs, social and economic barriers, and fear of medical debt. Through stakeholder interviews, the workgroup discovered significant fragmentation of services and the absence of comprehensive care standards beyond the traditional six-week postpartum period. In response, the funders issued a request for proposals aimed at creating a centralized hub to catalog and connect postpartum care initiatives, with the goal of developing comprehensive standards and addressing what they term the "postpartum cliff."

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Keywords: Access to healthcare, Barriers, Collaboration, Funding, Health care reform, Library collection development, Medicaid, Policy, Postpartum care, Requests for proposals, Service delivery systems, Standards

Annotation: This report presents recommendations from a taskforce convened to address maternal and infant health challenges in rural South Carolina. The document examines the significant barriers facing pregnant and postpartum women and their babies in rural areas of the state, including provider shortages, hospital closures, transportation challenges, and nonmedical drivers of health such as poverty and food insecurity. It reviews successful programmatic efforts including Family Solutions, Hello Family Pay for Success, and the Management of Maternal Diabetes initiative, as well as policy approaches from other southern states that have expanded practice authority for certified nurse midwives and strengthened workforce incentives. The report provides detailed recommendations organized into four categories: care delivery (including mobile maternity units and telehealth expansion), workforce development (addressing pay equity and training), training and education for providers and communities, and addressing nonmedical drivers of health through transportation and social support services. It includes extensive data on maternal mortality rates, provider distribution maps, and economic analyses of the costs associated with poor maternal health outcomes, along with definitions of key terms and comprehensive references.

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Keywords: Barriers, Infant health, Maternal health, Model programs, Postpartum care, Prenatal care, Rural health, South Carolina, State initiatives

Annotation: This webpage discusses how telehealth can help address barriers to postpartum care, such as the cost and time associated with travel to in-person appointments, inability to drive after childbirth, and lack of childcare. It outlines potential postpartum telehealth services, including general health check-ins, lactation support, screening and treatment for postpartum depression, therapy appointments, and referrals to specialists. The page also spotlights Centerstone, a HRSA-funded program in Tennessee that has successfully used telehealth to reduce infant mortality and racial disparities in prenatal care by increasing access to visits and education programs.

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Keywords: Barriers, Maternal health, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Telehealth, Tennessee, state programs

Annotation: This policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics describes the role of home health care for children with disabilities, medical complexity, and chronic conditions in supporting their daily health and community participation. It outlines the legal obligations of payers under federal programs and mandates, including Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) provision and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The document identifies systemic barriers such as workforce shortages, low reimbursement rates, and the significant financial and emotional burden of unpaid caregiving on families. Recommendations are provided for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve regulatory oversight, standardize pediatric electronic data structures, and expand paid family caregiver programs.The statement also advocates for payment reforms to support workforce retention, the provision of specialized medical equipment, and the use of telemedicine for remote clinical support.

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Keywords: Barriers, Child health, Children with special health care needs, Federal legislation, Financing, Home visits, Medicaid, Pediatrics, Policy, Policy development

Annotation: This blog post features an interview with Cheri Pies (conducted in 2011) concerning the translation of the life course health development framework into the practice of state and county health departments. It describes the integration of the life course perspective into maternal and child health program delivery, emphasizing a paradigm shift away from traditional medical models toward addressing the social determinants of health. The document outlines specific local initiatives, such as Building Economic Security Today and the Building Blocks Collaborative, which utilize life course principles to improve financial stability and cross-sector health equity. Substantial discussion is provided regarding the barriers to applying this theoretical framework, including categorical funding streams, and the importance of longitudinal research and evaluation to measure intergenerational health outcomes. The interview is one of six in the Life Course History series.

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Keywords: Barriers, Child health, County health agencies, Health equity, History, Life Course, Maternal health, Models, Preventive health services, Research, Social determinants of health, State health agencies

Annotation: This blog post features an interview with Dr. Christopher Forrest regarding the life course health development framework and the need for a conceptual shift from disease-oriented research toward a longitudinal science of health. It identifies the development of standardized metrics and a common lexicon as essential for measuring how health attributes are acquired and shaped from birth through adulthood. The document examines the potential for collaborative research networks and distributed data systems to overcome barriers created by disease-oriented funding and partitioned medical specialties. Discussion includes strategies for the Maternal and Child Health Life Course Research Network to advance interdisciplinary education and advocacy for a dedicated federal health development office. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau].

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Keywords: Barriers, Child health, Collaboration, History, Life course, Maternal health, Measures, Metrics, Research, Social determinants of health, Standards

Annotation: This guide for health center staff describes a set of interprofessional oral health core clinical competencies designed to foster integration of oral health care into primary care. The guide also provides information about three pilot projects’ experiences related to implementing the competencies. Contents include recommendations to inform planning, training systems, health information systems, clinical care systems, and evaluation systems.

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Keywords: Barriers, Clinics, Community health centers, Interdisciplinary approach, Oral health, Primary care, Program development, Service integration, Systems development

Annotation: This collection of online tools is intended to accelerate the work of communities, coalitions, and funders in strategically assessing their efforts, identifying opportunities, and committing to actions aimed at assuring conditions that lead to optimal births for all people. The tools include: (1) The Birth Equity Action Map, which describes actions needed by specific birth equity partners to improve birth and racial equity; (2) the Birth Equity Ecosystem Map, which visualizes the factors and conditions needed to achieve equitable outcomes; and (3) the Birth Equity Iceberg, which offers insights on the barriers that perpetuate inequitable outcomes and limit efforts to advance birth equity.

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Keywords: Barriers, Childbirth, Health care systems, Health equity, Racism

Annotation: This report highlights the common threads between housing and reproductive justice, emphasizing the importance of policy solutions that de-silo maternal health and address social and structural barriers. The first section describes how structural racism and structural disinvestment—including residential segregation, poor housing access and conditions, residential instability and gentrification, and the carceral apparatus—contribute to deleterious health outcomes among Black women and birthing people. The second section outlines how Black pregnancy is policed across the reproductive lifespan through forced evictions and displacement during pregnancy, double jeopardy of racism and discrimination in health care settings, and threatened Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement after birth. The third section highlights the status of housing reform in Washington, D.C. and potential opportunities for change. The report ends with Mamatoto Village’s housing justice framework, a summary of federal housing programs and policies, and links to annotated bibliography of key articles.

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Keywords: Barriers, Blacks, Civil rights, Federal programs , Housing, Housing programs, Maternal health, Policy development, Pregnancy, Racism, Social factors, Underserved communities

Annotation: This report provides information about a series of community listening sessions that Community Catalyst held with community members in three states. The purpose of the sessions was to gain a better understanding of community members' perspectives related to access to and experiences with oral health care. The report includes an overview of the methodology of these listening sessions, descriptions of key themes that arose, and recommendations for policy solutions to address the barriers community members identified.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Barriers, Community health, Oral health, Public policy

Annotation: This website describes a project that was developed from stakeholder concerns about the fragility of stable and adequate housing for families of children with chronic and complex conditions raised at the 2019 Levi Symposium hosted at the Berman Institute. The project is ongoing.

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Keywords: Children with special health care needs, Financial barriers, Housing, Physical disabilities, State initiatives

Annotation: This guide presents an overview of inequities in access to health care and insurance coverage in the U.S. and highlights policy and accountability levers that advocates and other change-makers can use to advance equity. Among the topics addressed are providers and service delivery, financing, barriers to obtaining health insurance, barriers to accessing health care, disparities in coverage, accountability and oversight, and policies and actions that could lesson barriers. Links to additional sources of information are included.

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Health care disparities, Health equity, Health insurance, Initiatives, Policy, Uninsured persons