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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

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Search Results: MCHLine

Items in this list may be obtained from the sources cited. Contact information reflects the most current data about the source that has been provided to the MCH Digital Library.


Displaying records 1 through 20 (697 total).

Center for Mental Health in Schools. n.d.. Technical assistance sampler on: Using technology to address barriers to learning. Los Angeles, CA: Center for Mental Health in Schools, 75 pp.

Danielson C. n.d.. Healthy Foundations [Final report]. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Department of Public Health, 51 pp.

Annotation: The project's goals were to: (1) Develop and implement structures and processes in defined community areas to plan and implement a family-centered, community-based health care delivery system for children; (2) develop data system capacity and function statewide to ensure family-centered, community-based primary care services for children; and (3) share experiences in family-centered, community-based system change in the area of primary health care for children with other State, regional, and national maternal and child health providers. At the State level, strategies were directed toward developing a system of children's primary health care delivery that was family centered and community based. At the local level, child health steering committees in established projects were to continue to plan and implement child health system changes in their service areas. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Child Mortality, Community Based Health Services, Databases, Family Centered Health Care, Information Systems, Primary Care, Standards of Care, State Programs

U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Genetic Services Branch. n.d.. Rules for the road: A handbook for consumers in leadership roles. Rockville, MD: U.S. Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Genetic Services Branch,

Annotation: This handbook captures the values and beliefs of health care consumers in leadership positions in human services organizations. The handbook, which is available online only and may be printed, sets forth principles to help guide health care consumers as they assume leadership positions and provides guidance or negotiating issues that may come with their new roles. The handbook delineates eight fundamentals for practice and discusses each of them.

Keywords: Consumers, Health care, Leadership, Service delivery systems

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs. n.d.. Adolescent health system capacity assessment tool. Washington, DC: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, 98 pp.

CrossBear S, LeGore S. n.d.. Family involvement in child-serving systems and the need for cross-system collaboration. Rockville, MD: U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 10 pp.

Annotation: This brief reviews what has been accomplished to date in the development of the family voice in all child-serving systems including substance abuse, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, trauma support, education, and primary care. The review indicates what needs to occur to create true cross-systems collaboration supporting family involvement, so that youth and their families can fully access the service and supports they need to obtain and maintain optimum health.

Keywords: Child health, Child welfare, Collaboration, Families, Family centered care, Health care systems, Interagency cooperation, Parent professional relations, Service coordination, Service delivery systems

American Academy of Pediatrics and Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy and Clinical Practice. n.d.. AAP Child Health Mapping Project. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 1 v.

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.

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

Big Cities Health Coalition. n.d.. Winnable battles case studies. Washington, DC: National Association of County and City Health Officials, Big Cities Health Coalition, 115 pp.

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs; University of North Carolina, Gillings School of Public Health; Vijaya K Hogan (VKH) Consulting LLC; et al. n.d.. Birth equity action map . Washington, DC: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs,

Annotation: The Birth Equity Action Map is an interactive mapping tool that describes urgent actions needed by specific system actors (i.e., birth equity partners) to improve birth and racial equity, and it highlights where the system funders can use their leverage to accelerate birth equity. The tool is designed to accelerate the work of communities, coalitions, and funders in strategically assessing their efforts, identifying opportunities, and committing to specific actions to strengthen the birth equity and early childhood ecosystem.

Keywords: Access to health care, Childbirth, Health care disparities, Health care systems, Health equity, Interactive media, Maps, Maternal health, Perinatal care

American Heart Association. n.d.. Postpartum systems of care recommendations. Dallas, TX: , 6 pp.

Annotation: These recommendations from the American Heart Association provide a framework for enhancing postpartum systems of care to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. The document outlines strategies for standardizing clinical education, defining the postpartum period as one year, and evaluating cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. It emphasizes the importance of patient-centered holistic care through collaboration with midwives and doulas and advocates for 12 months of comprehensive health coverage for all postpartum people. Discussion also covers identifying social determinants of health and improving data collection through a national database for quality performance

Keywords: Guidelines, Health care systems, Maternal morbidity, Maternal mortality, Postpartum care, Prevention

American Heart Association. 2026. Advancing postpartum systems of care . Dallas, TX: American Heart Association,

Annotation: This website describes the Advancing Maternal Health Through Quality Improvement and Professional Education Initiative and its efforts to improve postpartum systems of care related to cardiovascular health. It addresses management strategies for heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes in birthing persons to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. Available resources include scientific statements, professional guidelines, webinars, and a podcast series that explores community-led solutions and clinical-community linkages. The site also presents clinical recommendations developed by a multi-disciplinary writing group supported by Merck for Mothers.

Keywords: Cardiovascular diseases, Health care systems, Maternal health, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Quality improvement

Palmer A, Caglia J, Paulemon W, Mazon R, McWeeny W, Geertz A, Nakon L. 2025. Postpartum care systems: Strategically collaborating to advance and align solutions across sectors. Washington, DC: Grantmakers In Health,

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."

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

FDI World Dental Federation. 2025. Consensus statement: Integrated electronic health records. Geneva, Switzerland: FDI World Dental Federation, 33 pp.

Annotation: This consensus statement presents insights from a project focused on integrating oral health into electronic health records (EHRs). The aim of the statement is to advance the use of EHRs, thereby improving patient care. The statement also includes information on the current state of oral health integration, challenges to and opportunities for integration and data sharing, core oral health and general health indicators to share between health information systems, and implementing integration of oral health into EHRs. zzz

Keywords: Information systems, Medical records, Oral health, Records management, Service integration, Statistical data

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Advancing oral health access across the lifespan: Proceedings of a workshop--In brief. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 13 pp.

Annotation: These proceedings present information from a workshop convened to explore innovative practices and models for advancing oral health across the lifespan. Topics include a global perspective on improving oral health, an overview of U.S. federal oral health policies and programs, an overview of U.S. state-level oral health policies, supporting all people to improve their oral health, increasing access to oral health care, the role of public and private payers in improving access to and affordability of oral health care, oral health care for varying populations, dentistry in 2035, enhancing oral health research and innovation, and the potential for systems transformation.

Keywords: Access to health care, Costs, Dentistry, Health systems, Oral health, Policy, Research, World health

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. 2025. The collaborative effect: Transforming oral health in North Carolina. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 24 pp. (Impact report)

Annotation: This report provides information on the Community Oral Health Transformation (COrHT) initiative, an effort to improve oral health equity and oral-health-care delivery across North Carolina. the Initiative sought to align community needs with person-centered, integrated care principles through cross-sector collaboration, advocacy, and systems transformation. The report discusses challenges to attaining optimal oral health for many people, provides COrHT background and selection criteria, and includes an impact assessment. A path forward is presented.

Keywords: Advocacy, Community health, Initiatives, North Carolina, Oral health, Oral health equity, Service delivery systems, State programs

Heaton LJ, Cheung HJ, O'Malley J, Santoro M. Preston R, Sonnek A, Tranby EP. 2025. Oral health in America: Who gets left behind?. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 14 pp. (Research report)

Annotation: This report offers a snapshot of how adults experience the oral health system, revealing both progress and ongoing gaps. It provides information on trends in the frequency of dental visits, plans to visit an oral health professional in the next year, and emergency department visits for oral pain. Also discussed are reasons for seeking oral health care outside the United States, types of oral health treatments received from non-licensed professionals, and the consequences of adults reaching or exceeding the annual maximum dollar benefit their insurance plan offered during the past year. In addition, the report addresses the importance of culturally inclusive oral health care.

Keywords: Adult health, Dental insurance, Emergency room, Health systems, Oral health, Trends

National Network for Oral Health Access. 2024. User's guide for the implementation of the oral health core clinical competencies. Denver, CO: National Network for Oral Health Access, 50 pp.

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.

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

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs . 2024. Systems mapping tools to advance birth equity. Washington, DC: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs ,

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.

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

Hicks N. 2024. Examining the prenatal and postpartum experience of birthing people using patient journey mapping. Toronto, CA: University of Toronoto, Department of Medical and Industrial Engineering,

Annotation: This thesis presents a research study examining birthing people's experiences with the health care system during prenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum periods. The study used patient journey mapping, surveys, and interviews to capture experiences at multiple time points. Participants included six prenatal and four postpartum patients, with a focus on Black birthing people. Key findings revealed challenges with insurance access, getting questions answered between appointments, and a lack of racial concordance with health care workers. Participants also reported feeling unprepared for unexpected events, accepting care that did not align with their needs, and inconsistent mental health and intimate partner violence screenings. The thesis discusses implications for improving maternal care, such as offering low-cost services, implementing telehealth, ensuring universal screenings, and increasing workforce diversity.

Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Blacks, Childbirth, Health care systems, Interviews, Perinatal care, Postpartum care, Pregnant women, Prenatal care, Surveys, Toronto Canada

National Association of Community Health Centers. 2024. Improving quality in pregnancy and postpartum care: Implementation guide. Bethesda, MD: National Association of Community Health Centers,

Brach C, ed. 2023. AHRQ health literacy universal precautions toolkit (3rd ed.). Rockville, MD: U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 202 pp.

Annotation: This toolkit offers evidence-based guidance to help health professionals make health information easier to understand and act on, make health care easier to navigate, and increase support for people of all health literacy levels. Contents include 23 tools addressing the following five domains: path to improvement, spoken communication, written communication, self-management and empowerment, and supportive systems. Additional contents include resources such as sample forms, PowerPoint presentations, and assessment tools.

Keywords: Communication, Empowerment, Forms, Health care systems, Health literacy, Patient care, Primary care, Resources for professionals, Self care, Social support

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The MCH Library is one of six special collections at Georgetown University, the nation's oldest Jesuit institution of higher education. The library is supported through foundation, private, university, state, and federal funding. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Georgetown University or the U.S. Government. Note: web pages whose development was supported by federal government grants are being reviewed to comply with applicable Executive Orders.