Collaborating to improve the health and well being of young women in the South.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

What Happens in New Orleans Should NOT Stay in New Orleans

Last week myself and several other Every Woman Southeast leadership team members had the opportunity to attend an Infant Mortality Summit in New Orleans. The meeting was sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in collaboration with the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the March of Dimes. The meeting was specifically for states in the Department of Health and Human Services Regions IV and VI - 16 states that have historically had among the worst rates of infant mortality in the nation. The objectives for the meeting were ambitious and included to understand strategies to improve birth outcomes; create synergy among State Health Officials, MCH Directors, Medicaid and State partners; identify clear strategies and outcomes for each state (completed by state teams); investigate a common strategy for the states in the region; and create a unified message that builds on best practices. From the North Carolina perspective, I thought that the meeting went very well. I feel very hopeful that this may well be the significant push many of us have been waiting for to finally shine the light on infant mortality and move forward with some new energy and innovation. I'll post the proceedings on our website as soon as they become available.

And on a side note, I must say that I had a chance to taste my first Beignets at Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter. All I can say is "YUM". We Southerners may have our challenges but we also have some great food!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Mark Your Calendars for our Next Webinar

We are really excited about our upcoming webinar on February 9, 2012 from 12-1:30 est. This webinar will focus on the Life Course Theory. This theory is a conceptual framework that helps explain health and disease patterns - particularly health disparities - across populations and over time. It points to social, economic and environmental factors as underlying causes of persistent inequalities in health. This theory is grounded in social determinants and social equity models and is also a community or "place based" approach. While the concept is innovative and for most public health professionals somewhat intuitive, the application in practice is a lot more complex.

In other words, while many of us may be interested in changing the way we approach our work in maternal and child health, there are not many existing models and programs to refer to as best practice for how to actually make it happen! This means that we need to be the change agents to begin to build these new models. But first, it is helpful to make sure we understand the concept and have guidance as to how some programs have made this happen.

Both of our speakers are national experts on the life course model. Our first speaker is from Florida and will provide us with an overview of this model and some resources and examples for application. Our second speaker is not from the South but is leading a very successful and growing MOVEMENT in New York City to reframe his entire perinatal partnership to be in line with the life course theory.

We hope you will register and then join us in a few weeks. To register click here https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/402200873

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!

Day three of the New Year and I've managed to keep many of my resolutions...take a vitamin (check), bring a healthy lunch to work (check), remember to breathe (check - I'm serious - don't you sometimes get so busy you forget to breathe?), and start writing a proposal for funding to make 2012 the year Every Women Southeast becomes a force for change (check)! I love the first week of January and I love making resolutions. There is something beautiful about a fresh start and setting intentions for the year. Even if we don't achieve them, putting them forward and giving them a name is important. This is a dynamic time - for health care and for social change. I can't imagine a better year for us to move forward together and make things happen!