Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This brief offers lessons from six states on how federal Medicaid cuts result in reductions in access to oral health care for people with low incomes. Examples are provided about how cuts have restricted access to care, shifted costs from one part of the health care system to others (e.g, hospital emergency departments), and led oral health professionals to leave the Medicaid network. Information is presented on how cuts have affected California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

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Keywords: Access to health care, California, Costs, Low income groups, Maryland, Massachusetts, Medicaid, Missouri, Oral health, Oregon, Pennsylvania, State information

Annotation: This manual is designed to help non-oral-health professionals implement fluoride-varnish application for infants, children, and adolescents ages 6 months to 21 years who are enrolled in Massachusetts’ Medicaid program. The manual includes instructions on how to complete the online Smiles for Life training, which is required for health professionals to apply fluoride varnish for this population. It also discusses how to begin using fluoride varnish in a practice as well as how to keep fluoride varnish notes and how to bill for fluoride varnish application. Basic information about fluoride varnish application and information to share with parents and other caregivers is included.

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• Program Website

Keywords: Adolescents, Children, Clinical coding, Consumer education materials, Dental caries, Disease prevention, Fluorides, Infants, Manuals, Massachusetts, Medicaid, Oral health, Oral health care, Preventive health services, Reimbursement, Resources for professionals, Risk assessment, State programs, Training, Young adults

Annotation: This report summarizes the second meeting of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department's Secretary's Postpartum Maternal Health Collaborative, held January 10, 2025. The document describes how six states (Iowa, New Mexico, Minnesota, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Michigan) implemented evidence-based practices over a 10-month period to reduce postpartum morbidity and mortality. Three states focused on mental health and substance use disorders while three addressed cardiovascular conditions. The report details specific state-level initiatives, including improved screening, care coordination, and follow-up processes, highlighting successful cross-sector collaborations between state health departments, Medicaid agencies, healthcare facilities, and community organizations. Key insights include the importance of standardizing care pathways while tailoring patient engagement strategies, leveraging quality improvement initiatives, and investing in data infrastructure. The document concludes with lessons learned about the benefits of cross-state collaboration and federal technical assistance in implementing facility-level changes that can improve maternal health outcomes.

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Keywords: Collaboration, Conference proceedings, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maternal health, Michigan , Minnesota, Models, New Mexico, Postpartum care, Quality improvement, Standards

Annotation: This online tool provides information about teledentistry. It discuss how teledentistry can be used to improve oral health in Massachusetts, how oral health professionals in the state can start using it, and how Massachusetts residents can ask their oral health professional about teledentistry services. Teledentistry guidance for the state is addressed, and information about the Massachusetts Project PRIDE—Promoting Remote Initiatives for Dental Engagement is provided.

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Keywords: Massachusetts, Oral health, State information, State programs, Teledentistry

Annotation: This report builds on state and national efforts to promote information, share best practices, and educate health professionals, including prenatal care health professionals, pediatric professionals, and oral health professionals for the benefit of patients, including pregnant women, children, and families receiving oral health care. The report introduces the issues, discusses trends, discusses national efforts and Massachusetts' efforts to address oral health among pregnant women and children, and provides information about the role of health professionals in improving oral health among pregnant women and children. Guidelines for prenatal care health professionals, pediatric professionals, and oral health professionals are included.

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Keywords: Assessment, Collaboration, Health education, Massachusetts, Oral health, Oral health care, Pediatric care, Pregnancy, Pregnant women, Prenatal care, Preventive health services, Referrals, Role, State programs, Young children

Annotation: This road map outlines how data can be used as a tool to help end structural racism. It consists of a collection of guiding questions, tools, and resources to assist programs in taking concrete steps to better identify, understand, and act to address racial inequities. The road map contains seven sections: (1) Looking at health issues with a focus on the impact of racism; (2) Determining if a program is ready to use data to address racism; (3) Understanding what the data says about differences in health outcomes by race and ethnicity; (4) Using other sources of data to uncover causes of the differences; (5) Making plans to act on differences that are unjust or avoidable; (6) Presenting data in ways that help people make sense of the numbers; and (7) Moving from data to action.

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• Overview

Keywords: Data, Data analysis, Data collection, Data sources, Ethnic factors, Health equity, Massachusetts, Outcome evaluation, Racial factors, Racism, State initiatives

Annotation: This report provides updates on Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Oral Health (OOH) , for fiscal year 2023. Information about the OOH vision, mission, values, staff, budget, and goal highlights is presented. Goal highlights include are provided for the following: surveillance, prevention, access and workforce, and integration.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Service integration, Massachusetts, Oral health, Prevention, State information, Surveillance, Work force

Annotation: This toolkit includes resources related to the project, including a community-engagement survey available in English and in Spanish, an oral health status and knowledge survey, a discussion guide for facilitators to use with communities to learn about children’s oral health needs in the Worcester and Holyoke communities, and oral health profiles for Worcester and Holyoke. A data sheet that provides information about efforts to improve access to oral health care for black and Hispanic children ages 10–14 in these Massachusetts communities is also available.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Blacks, Community programs, Health equity, Hispanic Americans, Massachusetts, Oral health

Annotation: This videorecording documents a multi-state roundtable discussion on telehealth applications for individuals with hearing impairments, drawing participation from 31 states and territories. The presenters—McVicar (Utah), Stone (Massachusetts), Kirschner (Montana), Culpepper (Georgia), and Messersmith (South Dakota)—share diverse perspectives on teleaudiology implementation within Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs, including universal newborn screening initiatives. Their presentations highlight both successes and persistent challenges: while telehealth expands access to specialized audiological services, barriers remain including geographic isolation, transportation costs, equipment accessibility, parental hesitation to engage with public health systems, and technical limitations for certain procedures like cochlear implant testing. The interactive format allowed participants to pose questions directly to presenters, and concluded with the sharing of a comprehensive resource website to support ongoing telehealth advancement for hearing-impaired populations across diverse regional contexts.

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Keywords: Telemedicine, Deafness, Developmental screening, Children with special health care needs, Youth with special health care needs, Utah, Massachusetts, Montana, Family support services, Georgia, South Dakota, Staff development

Annotation: This fact sheet is an installment of the Massachusetts Oral Health Series, developed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The series focuses on oral health issues in the state through topic-specific installments. This issue discusses oral health programs and presents oral health statistics for Massachusetts. It presents facts on oral health in pregnant women and in early childhood, oral health trends in Massachusetts and in the nation, and next steps for the DPH, Office of Oral Health.

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Keywords: Data, Massachusetts, Oral health, Pregnant women, State information, State programs, Trends, Young children

Annotation: This final report provides a summary of the project activities and accomplishments of the Massachusetts Perinatal and Infant Oral Health Quality Improvement project ending in 2019. The report includes information about project progress, significant changes during the project period, and project evaluation. The project’s impact is also discussed. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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• PIOHQI Initiative Page

Keywords: Final reports, Infant health, Massachusetts, Oral health, Pregnant women, State programs

Annotation: This brief provides information about oral health among pregnant women in Massachusetts. It discusses the importance of oral health during pregnancy and offers recommendations for pregnant women. It provides data from the 2012–2017 Illinois Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System about the percentages of women who received a dental cleaning during pregnancy according to race and Hispanic ethnicity. Barriers to accessing oral health for Massachusetts women are discussed, along with the relationship between poor maternal oral health and infant health, A description of relevant Massachusetts initiatives and recommendations for perinatal health professionals are included.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Dental caries, Ethnic factors, Health care delivery, Infant health, Massachusetts, Oral health, Pregnant women, Racial factors, State information, Statistical data

Annotation: This issue brief highlights the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from the CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. (LTSAE) state systems grant program spanning eight years (2011-2019). Administered by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs in partnership with the Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the program funded 34 states to strengthen early identification and coordination of services for children with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities. The document outlines three key impact areas: formalizing developmental monitoring as a priority, activating stakeholders and strengthening partnerships, and increasing awareness among caregivers and providers. Through state-specific case studies and survey data from grantees, the brief demonstrates how even modest funding ($10,000-$20,000 per state) led to sustainable system improvements, innovative cross-sector collaborations, and enhanced capacity to monitor development and connect families to early intervention services. The brief also addresses implementation challenges and emphasizes the critical role of relationship-building and family engagement in sustaining these efforts beyond the grant period.

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Keywords: Title V programs, Autism, State CHSCN programs, Grants, Case studies, Nebraska, Mississippi, Virginia, Montana, Oklahoma, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts

Annotation: This tip sheet provides guidance for health plans on implementing the National Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). It explains that these standards offer a framework for ensuring comprehensive, coordinated, family-centered care, noting that while one in five U.S. children has special health care needs, four out of five CYSHCN families report not receiving care in a well-functioning system. The tip sheet outlines specific ways health plans can use the standards, including developing managed care programs to meet unique needs, coordinating with all entities providing care, improving enrollment and transition processes, and creating appropriate benefit plans. The second page highlights successful implementation examples from Delaware, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and describes available resources for health plans including assessment tools, a NCQA crosswalk, Medicaid managed care contracting tools, and quality measurement resources. The document directs readers to online toolkits and a mobile-friendly site for accessing these materials.

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Keywords: Standards, State CHSCN programs, Delaware, Massachusetts, Virginia, Assessment Tools, Medicaid

Annotation: This tip sheet outlines how healthcare providers can utilize the National Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) to improve service delivery. It provides specific guidance for providers on implementing the Standards, which emphasize the importance of family partnership in decision-making and evidence-based care delivery. The Standards serve as a comprehensive framework designed to foster collaboration between healthcare providers, health plans, and state health programs to ensure coordinated, family-centered care.

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Keywords: Standards, State CHSCN programs, Health Care Providers, Case Studies, Georgia, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts

Annotation: This presentation reviews eight years of state system-level grantee work through the Learn the Signs. Act Early. (LTSAE) initiative focused on improving parent-engaged developmental monitoring. It examines how the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) provided grants to states to strengthen early identification systems for developmental delays and disabilities, including autism. The presentation identifies three key impact points: increased awareness among caregivers and providers about developmental monitoring, activated stakeholders and strengthened partnerships, and formalized developmental monitoring as a priority. It showcases case studies from Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Virginia demonstrating successful approaches to integrating LTSAE developmental monitoring tools into state systems. Survey results indicate high rates of success, with 94% of grantees meeting their objectives and maintaining sustainable efforts. The presentation concludes by highlighting freely available LTSAE resources that can be integrated into existing early childhood systems.

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Keywords: Developmental screening, Autism, Grants, State CHSCN programs, Case Studies, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Virginia

Annotation: This presentation from the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) discusses seven years of lessons learned in systems coordination for the early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities. It shares insights from the CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) initiative and state system-level grant work. The presentation highlights efforts across multiple states including Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Tennessee, showcasing various approaches to developmental monitoring and screening. It emphasizes the importance of early identification of developmental delays, explaining the distinction between developmental surveillance/monitoring and developmental screening. Key accomplishments include creating culturally competent resources, training healthcare providers, establishing partnerships, and integrating developmental monitoring tools into state systems. The presentation concludes with lessons learned about strengthening partnerships and implementing strategies that achieve both short and long-term goals to improve early identification services for children with ASD/DD.

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Keywords: Developmental screening, Autism, Grants, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information about public health dental hygienists in Massachusetts. It discusses the public health issue that resulted in the creation of this new category of oral health professional, explains what public health dental hygienists are and where they may work, and lists what is required of them. The fact sheet also describes the written information sheet that they give patients at the conclusion of a visit and discusses public health dental hygienists’ responsibilities related to referrals and reporting. A companion toolkit for registered dental hygienists in Massachusetts containing information and resources about providing preventive oral health services in public health settings is also available.

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Keywords: Dental hygienists, Massachusetts, Oral health, Public health, State initiatives

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information about oral health during pregnancy. It discusses oral health issues that are common during pregnancy and the possible consequences of periodontal disease during pregnancy. It also provides tips for how women can keep their mouths healthy before and during pregnancy and on how parents can keep their infant’s or toddler’s teeth healthy. Information about relevant programs in Massachusetts is included.

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Keywords: Infant health, Massachusetts, Oral health, Periodontal diseases, Periodontitis, Pregnancy, State programs

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information about the importance of drinking fluoridated tap water. It discusses why it is important to drink water, whether tap water is safe to drink, and whether drinking tap water is better than drinking bottled water. It also explains what fluoridated water is and the benefits of drinking fluoridated tap water. Guidelines for fluoride intake are provided, and the quality of tap water in Massachusetts is discussed.

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Keywords: Fluoride, Massachusetts, Oral health, Prevention, State programs, Water intake