Childhood exposure to lead contributes to developmental and intellectual disabilities, higher rates of neurobehavioral disorders such as hyperactivity and attention deficits, and lower birth weight in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 4 million households have exposed children to high levels of lead. Many state agencies, including Title V programs, have prioritized addressing harmful environmental exposures, including lead. State and community response to reduce lead exposure in maternal and child health populations requires a comprehensive, coordinated approach.
Maternal and Child Environmental Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (MCEH CoIIN)
AMCHP has been awarded a grant to lead a national MCEH CoIIN from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) of the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The three-year grant aims to build state capacity to improve systems of care to address the needs of maternal, infant and child populations that are at risk for
or experience exposure to lead.
AMCHP will work with partners at the National Institute for Children's Health Quality, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, National Academy for State Health Policy, and National Environmental Health Association to provide technical assistance to state teams through the MCEH CoIIN.
With the ultimate goal of decreasing maternal and child morbidity and mortality associated with exposure to lead, this project will support multi-disciplinary state teams to increase in the number of infants and children that have access to a system of coordinated care to address their needs due to lead exposure. Through the CoIIN, AMCHP and partners will:
- Engage partners and a Steering Committee of experts to provide resources and support to states
- Implement an 18-month CoIIN with state teams focused on improvement systems of care to address maternal and child environmental health needs as a result of lead exposure.
- Lead state teams in effecting change through quality improvement, data collection and measurement methods.
- Facilitate collaborative learning and collective impact.
- Develop and disseminate resources for the larger public health field.
News and Resources from the MCEH CoIIN
The Collaboratory for the MCEH is an online platform that is meant to encourage and enable the continuous spread of the best practices and innovation among project participants. Participating state teams can log-in to access the online community and the data management system. Other interested individuals can request access to join the community portion of the CoLab. Visit https://mcehcoiin.community.nichq.org for more information.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UJ9MC31105 – Maternal and Child Environmental Health Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) for $849.999. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the US government.