NACCHO is looking to expand the Maternal-Child, Infectious Disease, and Preparedness (MIP) Collaborative Workgroup, which was formed two years ago to support public health and clinical care partnerships at the local level to increase local jurisdictions’ ability to protect, respond to, and support pregnant people and their infants from emerging threats. This workgroup year, members will focus on hepatitis C, congenital syphilis, COVID-19, and others that are identified as priorities.

The Workgroup will discuss the role of MCH, preparedness, and infectious disease departments and staff in addressing infectious diseases that impact MCH populations at the local level. In the past year, the MIP workgroup reviewed and provided comments on federal guidance, held bi-monthly meetings to peer share on local collaborative efforts, and co-authored NACCHO publications. Participating is a great way to learn about how other LHDs respond to and prevent infectious diseases that impact MCH populations and connect with colleagues across the country.

Membership: The MIP Collaborative Workgroup will comprise local health department (LHD) officials and staff with expertise and interest in the intersectionality of preparedness, infectious disease, maternal-child health, and/or birth defects. We welcome all qualified people to apply here. We encourage applications from LHDs that focus on health equity and serve historically underrepresented populations. Time Commitment: Participation in this work group will include:

1. Bi-monthly 2-hour workgroup meetings – These meetings serve as a forum for peer-sharing. We aim to have workgroup members share on how MCH, emergency preparedness, and infectious professionals at the local level are collaborating to address the impacts of infectious disease outbreaks in their jurisdiction on their MCH population. We encourage participants to share resources and best practices and additional needs to address these impacts.
2. Preparation for jurisdictional overview - At each meeting two LHDs will provide a jurisdictional overview of one of the priority infectious diseases. This overview will include an explanation of the impact of a particular infectious disease on your MCH population and interdisciplinary approaches your LHD is taking to mitigate its impact.
3. Other NACCHO Engagement Opportunities – As an MIP workgroup member we ask that you participate in at least two engagement activities, which may include presenting at conferences, serving as a podcast speaker, co-authoring NACCHO articles or blogs, and reviewing federal guidance and best practices.

The workgroup term goes through July 31, 2022. Continuance of the workgroup beyond this term period is dependent upon available funding.

If you are interested in joining the MIP Collaborative Workgroup, please complete the recruitment form by Wednesday, September 15. For any questions or comments please email Adele Appiah at [email protected].