MCH Digest

March 2025

AMCHP 2025

By Rachel Hutson


The Colorado team recently returned from the annual conference of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) that was held in Washington, DC, March 15-18 with a conference theme of Partnering for Impact. The conference was planned and paid for far in advance of the current federal budget uncertainties and, despite the unknown regarding the Continuing Resolution, AMCHP made the decision to host the conference as scheduled. Given the current climate, it was especially uplifting and refreshing to connect with and learn from MCH colleagues from around the country, as well as to share some of the great work happening in Colorado. Presentations from the Colorado team included:



The plenaries held throughout the conference centered on youth and family voice, as well as storytelling, with Dr. David Fakunle’s closing plenary, Connecting through the Science of Storytelling. He emphasized the importance of using stories to demonstrate appreciation, acknowledgment, listening, respect and love to reach common ground in times of dissent and disharmony. His advice resonated deeply during this time when bridging divides has never been so important. We are fortunate to have an MCH Storytelling workgroup that has had the opportunity to consult with and learn from Dr. Fakunle, which was foundational to the planning and design of the MCH Listening Tour that informed the selection of Colorado’s seven statewide priorities for the 2025-2030 funding cycle: built environment; social connectedness; coordinated intake and referral systems; perinatal wellbeing; economic mobility; nutrition security and housing. Stay tuned for more details in the next MCH Digest!

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Events

Culture of Data - Data Science for Health Justice: Addressing the Social Determinants of Health. April 24 - 25, 2025. The full schedule is now available. Registration is open.


Colorado Youth Climate Summit. May 2 - 3, 2025. Carbondale, CO. Participate, volunteer and/or present.


Building Resilience: Public Health in the Rockies. September 9 - 11, 2025. Keystone. CO. Submit abstracts now through April 20, 2025, 12pm.

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Training

Racial Equity Foundations & Caucus Pop Up 2025

Starts April 3, 2025, 4:30pm - 8:30pm (MT). 


Join Tempey Hamilton, LCSW, Rachael K Sharp, MA, and Joshua Abiazar from Phases of Self Ascension (PSA) for a virtual pop-up racial equity workshop and caucus in April! This interactive session is open to all prevention grantee communities and covers key terminology, tools, and frameworks. Spanish interpretation will be provided, with additional accommodations available upon request. Cost: Free. Registration closes on April 3, 2025. Use this link to learn more about the workshop and caucus and register for both.


Upcoming Webinar: Bullying and Autism: Frequency, Consequences, and Interventions

Thursday, April 10, 2025, 10:00 - 11:30am (MT). Use this link to register for the Bullying and Autism webinar.


In this webinar, we will present research findings on bullying in autistic teens from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). We will describe how frequently autistic teens experienced bullying compared to other teens. We will also show how the frequency differed for different types of bullying, including verbal, physical, social, and cyber bullying. We will then explain some of the mental health consequences that bullying may lead to, including depression, anxiety, and self-injurious behavior. Finally, we will give a brief overview of evidence-based interventions that may be effective in addressing bullying among autistic teens at the individual, family, and school levels.


Leadership is for Everyone (LIFE): Storytelling and Leadership

Tuesday, April 15, 2025, 8:00am - 4:00-m (MT) in Westminster, CO. 


Join us for a day exploring the connections between storytelling and leadership (including AI), and networking with participants from across the Rocky Mountain region. Cost: $165. Registration closes on April 4, 2025. Use this link to learn more about Leadership is for Everyone and register for the training.


Social Justice Approaches to Youth Engagement

Starts Thursday, April 17, 2025.


Are you looking for actionable ways to advance social justice in your community? Join our seven-week course to critically analyze power, privilege, and oppression in your life and learn how to disrupt systems that oppress young people. This course offers a mix of critical reflection, skill-building, applied practice, and tools to empower you as an advocate for youth. Cost: $75. Registration closes on April 2, 2025. Use this link to learn more about this course and to register for it.


Upcoming Webinar: Surviving and Thriving in the Real World: Targeting Daily Living Skills in Autistic Adolescents

Thursday, April 24, 2025, 10:00 - 11:30am (MT). Use this link to register for the webinar.

Speaker: Amie Duncan, PhD - Clinical Psychologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital


During this webinar, we will discuss how daily living skills - which are the tasks that individuals

do every day to take care of themselves at home, school, and the community - have an impact on one’s ability to achieve goals in adulthood. We will review the development, evaluation, and refinement of the Surviving and Thriving in the Real World (STRW) intervention that targets age-appropriate daily living skills in autistic adolescents. Finally, we will discuss how to assess and then develop a treatment plan for building daily living skills in autistic children, adolescents, and young adults.

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News & Updates

WWC Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program Advisory Board Openings

The Women’s Wellness Connection (WWC) Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program (BCCSP) Advisory Board is seeking applicants for two Advisory Board vacancies, one starting immediately and the second starting in July 2025.

Deadline: Noon (12 p.m. MST) on Friday, April 4, 2025

Note: WWC-funded organization employees are generally not eligible due to potential conflicts of interest.

Find more information and the application forms here:


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Resources & Tools

Public Health Communications Collaborative has a NEW Resource: The Quick Guide to Public Health Misinformation is an at-a-glance resource to help you identify false narratives and respond with clarity, accurate information, and accessible language.

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Workforce Development

Change Management in Times of Uncertainty

The Workforce Development Team offers consultation, coaching, and training on change management. If you’re new to change management or need a reminder, it is the intentional process for supporting individuals impacted by a change during their transitions from where we are to where we’re going. People’s successful transitions equal a successful change. Change management can build trust, protect relationships, and save time and money. In times of uncertainty, people’s capacity for change is often lower, so it’s even more important to take a thoughtful approach to changes that cannot be delayed. 


Check out this Quick Guide to Change Management. Reach out to Melissa Leal for support.


Try it out! Regulation Practice 

In times of uncertainty and overwhelm, it is natural to feel disconnected from ourselves and those around us. Offering ourselves moments of grounding can help us gently return to a sense of safety and connection. From a stress-responsive, trauma-informed perspective, this practice is not about fixing how we feel but creating space for compassion, awareness, and support, both for ourselves and our collective communities.



Humming

  • Find a comfortable position and take a deep inhale. As you exhale, hum softly, feeling the vibrations in your chest, throat, or face. Experiment with different pitches and lengths, and repeat for 1-2 minutes.

Why It Works

  • From a stress-responsive, trauma-informed perspective, humming can support us in releasing tension and the vibrations act as an internal grounding mechanism. Humming also slows our exhale, naturally extending our breath, and activating our body’s relaxation (rest and digest) response. Relevant resources: Voo humming & humming.

Reflection Prompts:

  • Where do I feel the vibrations of my hum? 
  • How does my body feel before and after humming?
  • What sounds or tones feel the most soothing to me?
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Newsletters

Human Impact Partners News

Colorado Children’s Campaign KidsFlash Blog

Family Matters Newsletter

Public Health Foundation E-News

Our Voice: Colorado’s Early Childhood Newsletter

Maternal Wellness Newsletter

HCP Blast Newsletter

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The Title V Maternal and Child Health Program (MCH) works with statewide partners and local public health agency representatives to improve the health of Coloradans using population-based and infrastructure-building strategies. Our mission is to optimize the health and well-being of mothers and children by employing primary prevention and early intervention public health strategies.


This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Colorado Maternal and Child Health Block Grant 6 B04MC45202. 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 U.S. Government.

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