Oral

Open to all states, the Maternal and Child Health Community Leadership Institute is sponsored through funding from the Colgate-Palmolive Company. The Institute provides public health professionals and MCH community leaders with beneficial tools for capacity building within a group effort. The training also provides participants with experiences, insights and skills to achieve changes in MCH. Each team selected into the Institute designs a program aimed at creating healthy living opportunities for women and children. The Institute will help build capacity within each state, to advance the Healthy People 2010 objectives, with a particular focus on eliminating racial and ethnic disparities. The American Public Health Association believes that excellence in public health practice and programming in our states is directly related to the level of leadership provided by state leaders. Despite efforts in the field of maternal and child health research still shows that the healthcare needs of women and children are not being met. The MCH Institute exposes participants to an intersectoral approach to problem solving that addresses a community's "social and human capital," to assist leaders, citizens, and communities become active participants by diffusing and applying acquired social and scientific knowledge and integrate this new information into evidence-based public health practice. This session will describe lessons learned from APHA’s Maternal and Child Health Leadership Institute. Discussion topics include MCH preparedness and addressing the needs of off reservation Native American women. The teams will discuss the successes and challenges of their MCH programs. Ultimately, through their collaborative work, these MCH teams will create sustainable and replicable efforts that improve the quality of life for women and children in communities worldwide.

Session Objectives: Upon completion of this session particpants will be able to: 1. Recognize the benefits of participation in the MCH Institute 2. Discuss challenges in developing MCH programs and projects