Kansas Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes and Reduce Infant Mortality

Following the release of Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) compendium, Forging a Comprehensive Initiative to Improve Birth Outcomes and Reduce Infant Mortality, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the March of Dimes Greater Kansas Chapter (MOD), and AMCHP partnered to pilot a resource for planning a comprehensive birth outcomes initiative. This initiative, aimed at improving the health of Kansas mothers and infants, was piloted in the Southeast public health regio, which experiences the worst rate of preterm birth and smoking during pregnancy. This effort focused on forging partnerships to address issues families face in the context of their communities. The areas of focus for this project include access to quality care and services, social determinants of health, enhanced education and training, sustainability and accountability, and vulnerable populations. As partners, KDHE, MOD, and AMCHP used a collective impact framework to engage Southeast region stakeholders to work on activities such as assessing the current maternal and infant health services and programs in the region; determining the current gaps and identify recommendations to address those areas; and strategies to bring multiple approaches together in order to form a comprehensive plan.

This session will highlight tools that were created for the Kansas initiative and piloted in the Southeast region including an MCH program inventory, an in-person stakeholder meeting agenda, a pre- and post-assessment of collaboration administered immediately prior to and following the meeting, interactive group exercises to engage stakeholders in capacity assessment findings, and a meeting evaluation.