· Improving Pregnancy Outcomes: The Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Committee is looking forward to the Annual Meeting in November in Washington, D.C. We are in the process of finalizing our sessions, which are organized around the theme of the Annual Meeting: Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies. The IPO Committee is proud to be the organizer of two podium sessions and one poster session. We will update you in the fall MCH newsletter on the times and titles of our sessions and provide information about our committee meeting, which is open to all members of the MCH Section. All are welcome to attend -- we are always looking for new members. If you would like to get more involved, please contact one of us by email.
Your IPO Chairs are:
o Kee Chan -- keechan@bu.edu
o Judith Katzburg -- jkatzbur@ucla.edu
o Janine Lewis -- jlewis6@gmail.com
o Tyan Parker-Dominguez -- tyanpark@usc.edu
· Need-based scholarships available for students to attend Annual Meeting: APHA is proud to announce the availability of need-based scholarships, sponsored by External Medical Affairs, Pfizer Inc., for student members to attend the 139th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 2011. Twelve students will be granted registration and up to a $500 stipend to use toward food, lodging and transportation. An additional four students will be given Annual Meeting registration only. Recipients of the scholarships will be chosen based on financial need and an essay. As part of the award, students will be strongly encouraged to attend at least one Section business meeting. Please inform student members of the MCH Section about this unique opportunity! Visit www.apha.org/meetings/registration/scholarship for complete details and application form. Please contact Pooja Bhandari at pooja.bhandari@apha.org with any questions.
· APHA Co-sponsors Text4Baby Contest: APHA is now a co-sponsor of the Text4Baby initiative, which is a program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. Text4Baby is a free text program for pregnant women and new mothers to engage in prenatal and infant health. Text4Babyhas recently launched a nationwide contest for states to compete to enroll women in the new, mobile health program. The top three states to enroll the most users by October 2011 will be announced at the 139th APHA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. For more information, contact Pamela Rich, Outreach Coordinator, at (703) 838-7504 or prich@hmhb.org.
- New baby for Anna Bauer: Congratulations to Student Fello
w Anna Bauer, who gave birth to a 6lb, 12oz baby girl on May 28, 2011. Emma Claire Paul was born at 7:55 p.m. and is 18-3/4 inches long. Emma was born at UNC in Chapel Hill, which her mother says, “represents MCH at its finest -- birth attendants supportive of all of our choices, inclusive of my husband Chris, lots of skin-to-skin contact, and all in a hospital that's clearly working hard to improve policies that are beneficial for mothers and babies.”
- Barbara Starfield, noted researcher and teacher, dies: On a sadder note, word has just reached us of the sudden passing of Barbara Starfield, who apparently died of a coronary event while swimming at her home in California on Friday, June 10. A pediatrician by training, health services researcher by trade, and natural teacher by talent, Barbara was a tireless advocate for family medicine and primary care. Her passing is an irreplaceable loss for those of us who care deeply about health care and equity.
· New edition of Caring for our Children: Caring for our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards – Guidelines for Early Care and Early Education Programs is now available. A publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics; APHA; and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education, the new third edition contains updated guidelines on the development and evaluation of the health and safety of children in all types of early care and education settings, including centers and family child care homes. For more information, see https://secure.apha.org/scriptcontent/beweb/orders/ProductDetail.cfm?pc=978-158110483-7.
· D.C. holds MCH Community Forums: In preparation for their Title V MCH Block Grant application, D.C. held two well received Maternal and Child Health Forums in May to get community input about existing D.C. programs that address the new Title V priorities. Last year, states developed new priorities after completing a five year Needs Assessment. Special attention was paid to having one community meeting in the evening with day care available and light refreshments. Parents of special needs children and other community members were in attendance. For more information, contact Mary Kornak, Title V Program Coordinator, at mary.kornak@dc.gov.
· Order Our Updated “A Lifetime of Good Health: Your Guide to Staying Healthy!”: The Office on Women’s Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is happy to announce that our very popular booklet, “A Lifetime of Good Health,” has been updated and is now available for you to order. With information important to women at every stage of life, we have also added topics such as how much sodium you should eat, heart attack and stroke warning signs, how to deal with an abusive partner, mental health and suicide prevention, and more! Available in English and Spanish. Call to place your order today at (800) 994-9662. For more information, contact editor Claudia Ruland at claudia_ruland@federal.dell.com.
· Resources on transportation and health available: These are exciting times when considering the many ways our transportation systems affect health and equity in our communities. Congress extended the current federal surface transportation bill until Sept. 30, 2011, and Congressional committees are aiming to draft a new transportation bill before this latest extension ends. Want to learn more about the connections between transportation, equity and health? View our archived webinar series, subscribe to the monthly transportation and health eNewsletter that offers an array of new events and updates, and download the newly released online public health and transportation toolkit and accompanying resources today. We also invite you to send a message to your members of Congress urging that they ensure that strong public health provisions are included in the federal surface transportation reauthorization. For more information, visit http://apha.org/transportation.
· Register now for best rates at the Annual Meeting: Registration is now open for the APHA 139th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2011. More than 1,000 cutting edge scientific sessions will be presented by public health researchers, academicians, policymakers and practitioners on the most current public health issues facing the nation today. For registration and more information about the Annual Meeting visit www.apha.org/meetings. The MCH Section will have a strong presence at the meeting. View the sessions sponsored by the MCH Section in the interactive Online Program accessible at http://apha.confex.com/apha/139am/webprogram/start.html. Search the program using keyword, author name, or date. Don’t forget to visit the Section and SPIG pavilion in the Public Health Expo next to Everything APHA to speak to a Section representative.