Maternal and Child Health Initiative

The goal of the Maternal and Child Health Initiative is to enhance the community’s capacity and capability for improving the health and well being of children, women and families through community engagement, applied research, and teaching.

The MCH Initiative was launched in 1999 with a grant to the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) from the Alliance Healthcare Foundation. Additional funding was received from the California Endowment in 2003. The initial goal of this initiative was to re-establish a Division of Maternal and Child Health at the GSPH. However, the focus of the Initiative was modified over the last several years and has been redirected and broadened to include three primary activities:

• Community Engagement and Service
• Research
• Education

A considerable portion of these activities involve public health community service and outreach. As a result, in 2004 the MCH Initiative was reassigned to the IPH, which serves as the community service division of the GSPH. The Alliance Healthcare Foundation and The California Endowment grants are now serving as core support to an ever expanding involvement in the MCH community.

Community Engagement provides faculty, IPH staff and public health providers the opportunity to work collaboratively, share their knowledge, and involve community members in research and performance improvement activities.

Research activities include seeking additional funding to sustain MCH Initiative efforts and opportunities for community collaboration to co-design and evaluate interventions that address health issues such as childhood obesity.

The ultimate result of Community Engagement and Research is Education. Outcomes and knowledge gained through any research or community-based project will be brought back to students in the classroom through, for example, the presentation of ‘case studies.’ Additionally, we are exploring the best method for sharing these same outcomes and knowledge with MCH practitioners, advancing the use of best practices within the provider community and ultimately healthier children, women and families.

Posted: 12/1/06