Title: From the Chair

Author:

Section/SPIG: Maternal and Child Health

Issue Date:

---

Greetings for the New Year! While we are well under way, this is my first opportunity to communicate to you my thanks for all your hard work for our Section and wishes for success and good health in the coming year.

We are off to an active start. At the Annual Meeting in D.C., the open business meeting was a centinal event of advocacy planning. As a Section we identified 20 advocacy issues and then narrowed our focus to six that the group felt were a good starting point for our efforts. After small group discussions, action plans were developed, and the committees are following up with specific activities they can accomplish over the coming year. The six areas were voted on, giving priority to the following considerations:
1) Impact on population;
2) Urgency of threat to policy; and
3) Possibility of making a difference.

The top six issues and action items suggested included:

1) Funding for Local Public Health: Focus on needs to achieve 2010 Healthy People, IoM’S Future of the Public’s Health funds for infrastructure and people.

a) Involve the affiliates…state by state.
b) Work with ASTHO, NACCHO.

2) Breastfeeding as Part of the National Health Agenda.

a) Moving breastfeeding higher on APHA & other agendas.
b) Focus on impact on health across the ages.

3) Elimination of Medicaid/EPSDT Block Grants.

Contacting all MCH members to lobby their Representative on impact of changes; use Section listserv, create needed source documents.

4) Immigration and Health:
Issue of health access beyond immigrant status, affecting others in same communities; impact on quality of services
Action steps: document scope of problem, “white paper.”
Petition for MDs & RNs to refuse to follow policies that restrict health care services to undocumented immigrants.

5) Integrity of Scientific Inquiry:

Two issues: Using science to promote values, or industry.
Action steps: Review current APHA policy; Propose changes;
Use ISC to see what APHA can do; Monitor and document problems related to appointments, etc; Plan sessions at next year’s meeting.

6) Roe v. Wade and Other Threats to Reproductive Health.

Reframe the issue – whole range of reproductive options
Remember this is not a “minority issue." Need to clarify agenda.
Personalize it. Relate it to other MCH issues: IPO, etc.
Develop regional strategies based on a template, monitor policy
changes that impact reproductive rights and service access.

As you can see we have identified a strong advocacy agenda. I strongly encourage Section members to go onto our web site, pick a committee and get involved with the work going on to achieve or goals. This is a long-range agenda and will require all of us to pull together.

I hope during the next two years we can streamline Section processes, involve more members, have exciting scientific sessions and business meetings and contribute to the policy-making and action of the Association. I am thrilled to be working with you!!!