One of our MPH students attended the annual meeting of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), held February 10-13, in Arlington, Virginia. What follows is a post from one of these attendees.
By Emma Beall, BSPH
This Mardi Gras, I decided to trade in my beads for a trip to the AMCHP annual conference. The theme, Staying Focused: The Enduring Commitment of MCH to Families and Outcomes, featured several fascinating panel discussions, such as one emphasizing the importance of including fathers and men in MCH programs. Another focused on recent disasters across the U.S. – the recent wildfires, hurricanes, flooding – and rise of the opioid epidemic – as well as the threats these emergencies pose to public health.
The day before the conference officially started, I attended two skill-building sessions with other conference participants. The morning session, Transforming Health Centers into Adolescent- Centered Medical Homes, was one of my favorite parts of the conference. During this session, facilitators walked the group through specific ways health facilities can more effectively reach and serve adolescents, particularly through changes to clinic environments. Tips presented included both providing phone chargers in waiting rooms and posting confidentiality laws throughout the clinic so that teens know what they can disclose in confidence with providers – without fear of their parents finding out. Facilitators also noted the importance of extending clinic hours to allow for appointments later in the day and on the weekends in order to better reach teens. Other sessions focused on a range of topics, from preventing teen pregnancy in rural communities to improving maternal and child health using a collective impact model.
The conference ended with an inspiring keynote from Michael Lu, who previously served as the director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Lu highlighted the importance of incorporating One Health into future MCH work. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that this approach “recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment.” Given the recent emergence of Zika and the readily visible impacts of climate change, from rising sea levels to severe storms, I hope that future initiatives will use this lens when aiming to address the health of mothers, children, and families.
Emma Beall is a second-year MPH student, concentrating in Maternal and Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2018. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Public Health at Tulane University in December 2016. Her interests include preconception health, adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health, and clinic-based interventions. She enjoys yoga and exploring all that New Orleans has to offer
