NACCHO, with support from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is looking to expand the Maternal-Child Health, Infectious Disease, and Preparedness (MIP) Collaborative Workgroup, which was formed four 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 infectious disease threats.

The workgroup will discuss the role of Maternal-Child Health (MCH), preparedness, and infectious disease (ID) 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 share and discuss local collaborative efforts, and co-authored NACCHO publications. Participating is a great way to learn about how other local health departments (LHDs) respond to and prevent infectious diseases that impact MCH populations and provides opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues across the country to share successes, challenges, lessons learned, exchange ideas, and ask questions.

Workgroup meetings will involve presentations from external entities and open discussions for members to share how their LHD is addressing infectious disease threats impacting MCH populations. Workgroup members will be expected to contribute to both larger group discussions and small breakout room discussions on various topics. Members will be supported by NACCHO staff throughout the workgroup year, as NACCHO staff will help lead and facilitate conversations during the meetings and provide support during presentations. Members are expected to participate in and contribute to group discussions – this is a great opportunity for members to learn from each other and share ideas!

Membership: The MIP Collaborative Workgroup will comprise of LHD officials and staff with backgrounds and interests in the intersectionality of preparedness, infectious disease, maternal-child health, and/or birth defects. Each of these disciplines brings unique expertise and we want to ensure that LHD staff from MCH, ID, and preparedness programs are all represented in the workgroup. We welcome all who meet these membership criteria to apply here. We encourage applications from LHDs that focus on health equity and serve historically underrepresented populations.

Time Commitment: Participation in this workgroup will include:

1. Bi-monthly 1.5-hour workgroup meetings – We aim to have workgroup members share how MCH, emergency preparedness, and infectious disease professionals at the local level are collaborating to address the impacts of infectious disease outbreaks on the MCH population in their jurisdiction. This is a space for open discussion, asking questions, and sharing resources, best practices, and opportunities. We plan to hold the first meeting in December 2022.
2. Preparation for peer-to-peer engagement – This workgroup functions based on peer-to-peer learning and conversation. Participants should come to meetings prepared to share their experiences, successes, and challenges with one another.
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, co-authoring NACCHO articles or blogs, reviewing federal guidance and best practices, and participating in interviews/Q&As about your work and participation in the workgroup.

Expectations:

• Attend workgroup meetings and adhere to time commitments outlined above.
• Be respectful of other members – our goal is to create an open, supportive, and welcoming environment.
• Come prepared to participate – we want everyone to be active participants and benefit from workgroup meetings by contributing to discussions and asking questions.

The workgroup term goes through July 2023. 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 application form by Sunday, October 9 at 11:59 PM ET.

For any questions or comments please email Elana Filipos at [email protected].