Creating a new agenda for the MCH Section has been much like doing a jig-saw puzzle.  First the Leadership put together the framework at the March midyear meeting, and now the membership is being asked to fill in the actual design piece-by-piece.  The variety of issues facing professionals in the field of maternal and child health and the many types of training and experience of those individuals makes this a challenge. The timetable for further development is not as rushed as working on a puzzle during a week at the beach, but it has its pressures.

At the mid-year meeting in March, the MCH leadership focused on capacity building. With the help of Dee Jeffers from the Chiles Center at the University of South Florida as facilitator, the group hammered through two full days of strategic planning and resource evaluation.   The group described four Section-wide goals and five areas for development, which are the framework for the new agenda.  The entire document has been sent out through the listserv and will be available on the MCH Web site and in written form at the MCH booth at the Annual Meeting.  The goals are focused on increasing the impact of APHA in the national policy arena for maternal and child health and they include the following:

• Influence national maternal and child health policie.s
• Position APHA to play an active role in maternal and child health policy.
  • Submit timely and appropriate position papers related to practice, program, research, and funding.
  • Place maternal and child health professionals into APHA policy positions.
• Develop leadership within the Section.
• Communicate with members about policy and programmatic issues.

To accomplish this mission, the leadership has defined five strategies for change within the Section, with a number of action steps for implementation.  The strategies include:

·         Increasing MCH Section influence in APHA to affect association policy decisions. 

·         Improving membership through recruitment of new members and retention of old ones.

·         Mentoring new leadership for the Section within the membership.

·         Working on policy development.

·         Implementing advocacy.

The group discussed a list of emerging and persistent issues, each of which could require a year-long task force to prepare a policy statement.  This list included: workforce development; health inequities; pre-conceptual care; access to comprehensive risk appropriate care; normal birth; preventing preterm birth, including iatrogenic; maternal mortality; and children with special health care needs.  The next steps are to prioritize this list and find sponsors within the Section membership willing to develop the policy statements necessary for each one.  These are the puzzle pieces missing in the challenge.

Rethinking the impact of the MCH Section on national policy and creating an agenda for change will require time and commitment.  The Section leadership has set the process in motion.  The larger membership is now asked and encouraged to get involved and be active.  Feedback is necessary and will be elicited both online and in person at the Annual Meeting.

In November in Washington, D.C., the MCH Section will kick off the Agenda project at the afternoon session on Sunday.  The framework structured by the leadership will be introduced, and task groups will be formed to deal with areas of interest.  The task groups will have early Monday morning to map out their initial approach.  There is much to be done.  Gathering together provides a rare opportunity to draw inspiration and energy for taking on common and pressing concerns.

Volunteers are needed to head the task groups.  A straw poll to prioritize the issues will be held online, but the emergence of people interested in each topic will move that specific issue along. The Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. should be energizing and exciting, but attendance is not essential for participation.  Work on this agenda will continue through the year, and much of the effort will be online or through conference calls, so please let me know if you are interested.

The greatest need in this project is the involvement of the larger MCH membership, and that means YOU.  You all bring a wealth of experience and vision to the enterprise. You have long been committed to working for the public interest, and the involvement and energy of this group can bring about meaningful and positive change.  Each piece in this puzzle is distinct, but together the pieces can form a coherent picture.  While planning and development are important, the actions based on this vision, the New Agenda, will lead to the improvement of maternal and child health. 

I am looking forward to seeing many of you in DC in November and to hearing from many others as we move forward to make this New Agenda a reality.

Barb Levin

Chair, MCH Section

barbl11@aol.com