A bi-state catalyst for improving maternal, child and family health
in the greater Kansas City community.
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MCHC October Fall Quarterly Meeting
"Socia
l Determinants of Health and Evolving Policy Perspective"
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Friday, October 5, 2018
8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Kansas City Missouri Health Department – Multipurpose Room
2400 Troost Avenue
Kansas City, Missouri 64108
There are many critical issues affecting families that are being decided by the legislative process. At this meeting we will hear from experts about some of the advocacy efforts going on in Kansas and Missouri regarding major topics being determined at this time, and how these public policies affect our community health.
Speakers will include
Julie K. Brewer,
Executive Director, United Community Services of Johnson County,
Mary Sunshine-Delgado
, MSN, RN, APRN, MCH-PC, Maternal Child Health Program Coordinator, Healthy First Steps, United Healthcare-Community & State/Kansas, and
Ed Williams
, Senior Manager of Marketing and Community Relations, Missouri Care/WellCare Health Plan Inc.
.
There will also be an opportunity to network with colleagues to identify current and potential partnerships, and/or advocacy opportunities. Please join us for this important meeting.
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Audrey Dunkel, JD – Director of Financial Advocacy,
Kansas Hospital Association; MCHC Chairperson and
Chair, Executive Committee
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Dear friends –
The fall of 2018 is going to be an exciting time on both sides of the state line with a variety of state and national positions up for election on November 6. No matter where you stand on the issues, election season can be an exciting and frustrating time for everyone as we are swamped with election propaganda. While I am always interested in knowing where candidates stand on the issues, I am troubled by the negative attack ads that seem to increase with each election cycle. Perhaps it is not about the ads themselves, but what they say about our culture – that we no longer value civility in our political discourse – and how that is reflected in our everyday lives. Have we lost our ability to disagree without being disagreeable? Do we no longer respect one another enough at least to listen? Moreover, if we have lost our respect for one another, have we lost the ability to care for one another?
I hope not.
When I start to feel that we, as a country, have become hardened by the political noise, I look around the metro area and see all of the great things our Coalition members and partners are doing to help children and families in Kansas and Missouri. I see all of your faces at our events, learning, networking and planning to address issues like infant mortality, teen suicide and early childhood success for everyone in the Kansas City area. I see the caring I am so afraid may be waning reflected in the commitment and respect each of you provide as you work to improve the lives of families in the metro area. You are the strong and steady voices that beat back the negativity we are bombarded with each day, and for that, I thank you.
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The 2017-2018 Annual Report for Mother & Child Health Coalition is now available as a pdf. To read the report
CLICK HERE
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Coming This Fall to Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative
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The
Healthy Start Shopping Mart
(HSSM) is being organized for the families of the Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative. The shopping mart will allow Healthy Start families to shop for carefully selected items that will contribute to improving their lifestyle and to motivate the family and to 1) achieve program goals, and 2) identify and achieve personal goals. HSSM will only be available for families who are
actively
enrolled in the Healthy Start program. Based on a point system format, families will be authorized to shop at the HSSM as they earn minimum and maximum points for items made available in the inventory (
while supplies last.)
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Examples for earning an opportunity to shop at HSSM will be outlined around the following:
Program Goals:
Kept scheduled visits with CHW;
Presented for prenatal & postnatal visits with their provider;
Presented for well-child visits with their provider;
Child received immunizations, and
Participated in Community Action Network activities.
Personal Goals:
Secured employment, and
Enrolled in education course/school (confirmed by enrollment form).
Bonus Goal:
Referred a friend who enrolled in the program.
The HSSM is will be open on the SECOND FRIDAY of each month. During this time, families will have an opportunity to meet and mingle with other Healthy Start families, share their experiences and participate in photo/video shoots.
Start-up items for the
Healthy Start Shopping Mart
(HSSM) have been made available through funds provided by the Community Action Agency of Greater Kansas City. All items are
new
and include baby gates, nursing bras, bath kits for mom, lotion, teething rings, baby strollers, baby wipes….just to name a few. If you would like to donate funds and/or
new
items to help supply the inventory for HSSM, please contact Jean Craig, PhD, Program Manager at 816-283-6242 Ext. 225. Items can also be selected and donated via Amazon gift registry.
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Referrals of pregnant women and/or families to KCHSI can be made at
www.mchc.net
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Welcome Two New Employees
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The Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative has hired a new
Community Health Worker (CHW
). Please welcome
Shanice Taylor
to our team. Shanice will be working with the other CHW, Marcela Metcalf to enroll and provide care coordination and case management services for families in the Kansas City metro area based on a “home visiting” model.
"I am honored and grateful to be a part of an outstanding organization whose mission is to alleviate health disparities through social support and change. I believe that every mom deserves a healthy pregnancy and that every child deserves a healthy start. I want to gain the trust of families so that I can educate, and help them live a healthy lifestyle. I am a former AmeriCorps VISTA and recently obtained my Bachelor of Health Science from the University of Missouri- Kansas City. During my service as an AmeriCorps VISTA I worked for the FIMR CAT (Fetal and Infant Mortality Review, Communications Action Team) in Wyandotte County, KS and during my service it became clear to me that this is the work that I want to do. The infant mortality rate in the KC metro area is unacceptably high, especially for minorities. I want to help achieve health equity through access to care and advocacy and I believe that the Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative is a great program that will allow me to do that. I am excited and eager to have the opportunity to help serve the needs of this community and
ready to tackle any challenge that might come my way. - Shanice Taylor
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FIMR Program Coordinator
Katherine Campell, BSN, RN
We are pleased to introduce Katherine Campbell, the new FIMR Coordinator. Katherine joins the MCHC team from North Kansas City Hospital where she worked on the maternal child unit for the last 3 years. She also has about 2 ½ years of Emergency Department experience. "After earning my bachelor’s degree in nursing I have become passionate in wanting to help the community in the sensitive subject of fetal and infant losses. I am so happy to be working with a collaborative, where I can help a larger community than what is possible in a hospital setting." - Katherine Campbell
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Annual Immunization Symposium
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Friday, October 26
Children's Mercy Park
1 Sporting Way
Kansas City KS 66111
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DON'T MISS
the Mid America Immunization Coalition's Annual Immunization Symposium, "
Vaccines: What You Need to Know.
"
This multi-state symposium is designed for health care workers and focuses on the continuing need for vaccines, as well as issues related to vaccine safety. Communication strategies to improve immunization rates, dispel myths and decrease vaccine hesitancy across the lifespan are an essential part of this symposium.
If you would like to sponsor the event, exhibit, or have any questions, please contact DuJuan Hord, MAIC program coordinator at
dhord@mchc.net
.
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Requests for School Vaccine Exemptions are on the Rise
- As discussed at the Sept. 5 MAIC Quarterly meeting, parents are increasingly requesting exemptions to having their kids vaccinated for school entry. This is a dangerous trend leading to a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases. Emily Welsh, KSHB TV i
nterviewed Tammy Landrum
, of the Kansas City Health Department after the meeting.
Fall Flu Clinics Coming Soon:
Here is our
fall flu clinic schedule!
For more information, contact DuJuan Hord at dhord@mchc.net
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Your valuable financial and in-kind support helps us continue our many programs and activities. Heart-felt thanks to the individual members and organizational partners joining or renewing their membership during the period of July - August - September, 2018. Please let us know of any errors or omissions. We appreciate you!
New Individual Members:
Katherine Friedebach, Kelley Johnson, Jason McCanless.
Renewing Individual Members:
Kay Connelly, Kristen Jarvis, Stephanie Jones, Amy Marks, Edna Perez-Koury, Wilaiporn Rojjanasrirat, Whitney Wilson.
Renewing Organizational Members- Benefactor Level-
St. Luke’s Health Systems - Vicki Goth and Robin Evans.
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Congratulations to Jean Craig, PhD on 15 years of dedication and commitment to Mother & Child Health Coalition and to the Healthy Start program. Dr. Craig has successfully shepherded the program through 15 years of helping pregnant women, infants and families to improve their health. Through her strong leadership, the Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative has enhanced service coordination and now serves more program participants than ever before. We look forward to Dr. Craig's help in continuing this vital program into the future. Thank you, Dr. Craig!
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Susan McLoughlin, MCHC Executive Director, presented a plaque to Jean Craig, PhD, Program Manager, Kansas City Healthy Start Initiative in honor of her 15-Year anniversary with MCHC.
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July 2018 Quarterly Meeting Recap
In 2016 there were 7 million youth with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED) and 12.8% of adolescents have a major depressive episode. At the July Quarterly meeting we heard from regional and local experts on youth mental health issues. Lori Wheelhouse, MA, LPC, LCPC, Tri-County Mental Health Services, shared data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Tyree, a local high school junior, detailed the stresses of high school and how his life has been impacted by friends who have attempted and/or completed suicide. Don Goldman, Jewish Family Services/Greater Kansas City Mental Health Coalition, described the
You Be You
program which uses positive messages of self-worth in 23 area schools to reduce teen suicide. Karen Mulligan, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, discussed the collaboration between Children’s Mercy Kansas City and Blue Valley School District which allows social workers to focus on high risk students in the district. After hearing from speakers, attendees broke out into smaller groups to create a call for action to improve youth mental health issues.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH
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As many of you already know, Susan McLoughlin will retire after the 1st of the year. She will certainly be sorely missed. We are currently recruiting to fill the position of executive director. To learn more and apply for the position, visit the Indeed website. Please pass this on to anyone you feel would be interested.
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A NEW SAFE HAVEN FOR NEWBORNS VIDEO!
Students from Wyandotte County High Schools created a new Safe Haven video as part of their summer camp program with Prep-KC, under the auspices of KU Medical Center's School of Medicine and School of Nursing. BELOW: the PrepKC class of 2018. To see the video
CLICK HERE
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For hard copies, call the MCHC office at (816) 283-6242.
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1734 E. 63rd Street Suite 301
Kansas City, MO 64110
Phone: (816) 283-6242
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