December 2020

Important COVID-19 Update

Greetings NRC-PFCMH stakeholders,

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) continues to provide updated guidance and resources to support care for pediatricians and families. Below are newly released and updated resources to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 resources and updated guidance for health care professionals:
Guidance on the Necessary Use of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance on the use of telehealth to provide appropriate elements of health supervision visits or acute and chronic care visits by pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists.
Guidance on Providing Pediatric Well-Care During COVID-19: Guidance on the continued provision of health care, specifically well-child care and timely immunizations, for newborns, infants, children, and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Interim Guidance on Supporting the Emotional and Behavioral Health Needs of Children, Adolescents, and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance for pediatricians on how to integrate emotional and behavioral health as part of standard care.

COVID-19 resources for families on HealthyChildren.org:

Having a Baby While Positive for COVID-19: FAQs (Spanish here): Neonatologist Karen Puopolo, MD, PhD, FAAP, answers common questions expectant parents have about the safety of their newborn and others if they give birth while positive for COVID-19.
Should Your Child Be Tested for COVID-19? (Spanish here): This newly updated article explains different types of COVID-19 tests available. It encourages parents to talk with their child's pediatrician to help determine when testing is a good idea based on infection rates and availability of tests in their area.
Ask the Pediatrician: Is it safe to send my child to child care during the COVID-19 pandemic? (Spanish here): This article now incorporates updated interim guidance and an infographic listing symptoms to check for before taking your child to daycare.
Parenting in a Pandemic: Tips to Keep the Calm at Home (Spanish here): This updated article now includes AAP interim guidance on behavioral and emotional health.
Mental Health During COVID-19: Signs Your Child May Need More Support (Spanish here): Information was expanded to incorporate AAP interim guidance on behavioral and emotional health.

Bi-Monthly e-Newsletter
Implementation Resources from the National Resource Center for Patient/Family-Centered Medical Home

Implementing Medical Homes for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) within Medicaid Managed Care
Developed by the National Resource Center for Patient/Family-Centered Medical Home (NRC-PFCMH), in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), this fact sheet highlights how promotion of medical homes for CYSHCN within Medicaid managed care delivery systems can be an effective strategy to support the delivery of health care services which meet medical home model standards. Case studies outline strategies for collaboration among Medicaid, Title V Maternal and Child Health/CYSHCN programs, and pediatricians to increase the number of CYSHCN receiving care through the medical home model.
Educational Webinar Series
The NRC-PFCMH, in partnership with Bright Futures National Center and the Screening Technical Assistance and Resource (STAR) Center, implemented an educational webinar series titled Making Connections: The Critical Role of Family-Centered Care in Addressing Social Determinants of Health for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). The goal of this 2-part webinar series was to provide state Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH)/CYSHCN programs, pediatricians, families, and others with information about the impact of social determinants of health (SDoH) on CYSHCN and their families as well as implementation strategies for state programs. The series discussed the role of these groups and state systems in addressing SDoH for CYSHCN by using components of the medical home model. The first webinar in this series provided relevant background information about how CYSHCN are impacted by SDoH, including a review of current data. The second webinar featured two state Title V MCH/CYSHCN programs that discussed how their states are addressing SDoH for CYSHCN.
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Additional Implementation Resources

Year 1 Equity Agenda Workplan
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that all systems of care should seek to promote and achieve health equity for all children. The AAP Equity Agenda guides the Academy's efforts to achieve health equity and actualize our goals to become an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization. The workplan delineates objectives and activities for year one of the AAP Equity Agenda and were largely informed by the AAP policy statements The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health and Truth, Reconciliation, and Transformation: Continuing on the Path to Equity.
National Care Coordination Standards for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)
Created by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), the National Care Coordination Standards for CYSHCN are designed to help state officials and other stakeholders develop and strengthen high-quality care coordination for children. These standards are a significant step towards addressing the interrelated medical, social, developmental, behavioral, educational, and financial needs of families. The care coordination standards are a complement to the National Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs toolkit.
Shared Decision-Making Worksheet for Families/Caregivers
Family Voices has created a shared decision-making worksheet based on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) interim guidance,Caring for Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic. This worksheet assists families in how to initiate conversations and strengthen the partnership and collaboration with their child’s care team.
AMCHP Early Childhood Roadmap Release
The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is pleased to share its new early childhood resource, "A Roadmap for Collaboration among Title V, Home Visiting, and Early Childhood Systems Programs: Accelerating Improvements in Early Childhood Outcomes." This resource was developed to shed light on what helps and hinders collaboration among these Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded early childhood programs. The roadmap:
This roadmap was designed for anyone that oversees or supports Title V, Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV), and Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) programs but it will also be of use and interest to public health professionals and leaders, state/local maternal and child health staff, students, policymakers, and other stakeholders working with or interested in the early childhood sector.
Issue Brief: The Role of State Medicaid and Title V Program Definitions of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs in the Provision of Services and Supports
Developed in collaboration with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) and the Catalyst Center at the Boston University School of Social Work's Center for Innovation in Social Work & Health this issue brief describes how states define CYSHCN within Medicaid and Title V CYSHCN programs, explores policy implications of these definitions, and discusses the potential impact of aligning definitions across the two programs.
Family Voices Telehealth Toolkit
Family Voices has created a two-part toolkit, a checklist and worksheet, to help prepare families for telehealth visits which is broken down by “Before, During, and After" with spaces for questions and notes. These documents are available for families to bring to pediatric appointments to help guide and provide clear follow-up steps for the child's care.

Conferences, e-Learning, and Events

SAVE THE DATE! 7th Annual Conference on Adolescent Health (Virtual Event)
May 13–14, 2021
The Adolescent Health Initiative (AHI) remains committed to safety and accessibility as the top priorities of the 2021 Conference on Adolescent Health and is excited to announce a completely virtual event on May 13-14, 2021. Each year, the event hosts more than 400 attendees from nearly all 50 states, and a growing international community. More than half of the sessions at the event are co-facilitated by youth, and the planning of the conference is guided by AHI's Teen Advisory Council. The conference team is planning a virtual event that has robust opportunities for learning, engagement, and connection. The AHI is excited to share updates as they move through the planning process. Participants can expect an interdisciplinary schedule of speakers, opportunities to obtain continuing education credits, exciting new sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, and even a virtual networking session. Registration for the event will open on Feb. 15, 2021. Feel free to reach out with any questions to adolescenthealth@umich.edu.
The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs 2021 Conference 
May 22–25, 2021 | New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans, LA
The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is currently planning for an in-person meeting in New Orleans. AMCHP will update proposal submitters and the membership community if it is necessary to alter the conference format due to COVID-19. The call for proposals for the 2021 Annual Conference has an extended the submission deadline to Wednesday, December 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
New Developmental Surveillance Mini (Spark)-Training for Pediatric Clinicians and Practices
Identify and discuss developmental surveillance best practices in your office setting. This free training, developed with support from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, includes a ready-to-use PowerPoint presentation, facilitator script, and case study. The training can be facilitated by providers or staff in various roles and is specifically designed to “spark" discussion and reflection. Facilitators can anticipate the training to last approximately 15-30 minutes and can be presented anywhere from staff meetings to professional development opportunities. Content in the training is grounded in the recently published AAP clinical report, “Promoting Optimal Development: Identifying Infants and Young Children With Developmental Disorders Through Developmental Surveillance and Screening." Download a copy to present to your team today.
Plans of Safe Care for Infants Exposed to Opioids | Free PediaLink Course
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) PediaLink course, Plans of Safe Care for Infants Exposed to Opioids, educates pediatricians about best practices in caring for, and supporting families affected by prenatal opioid exposure. Advancing the care coordination and patient- and family-centered pediatric medical home framework, the course supports pediatricians in implementing key recommendations outlined in the newly released clinical report, Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome. The course is free of charge and it is eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and Maintenance of Certification Part 2 points, and discusses, (1) trends and impact of opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy; (2) practical approaches for addressing social attitudes towards pregnant and parenting women with OUD; and (3) discharge planning to support long-term treatment and recovery for the mother-infant dyad during the transition to community care.
ICYMI: Webinar Recording is Available for “Integrating the National Standards: Strategies for Building Equitable Systems of Care for CYSHCN through the Title V Needs Assessment"
The Integrating the National Standards: Strategies for Building Equitable Systems of Care for CYSHCN through the Title V Needs Assessment webinar, hosted by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), and the Lucille Packard Foundation for Children's Health, featured a brief overview of the National Standards and its alignment with the Title V Needs Assessment and Action Plan Development. Panelists offered lessons learned to inform the ongoing needs assessment process as well as continued utilization of the National Standards tools. These tools can be accessed via the National Standards toolkit.
ICYMI: Webinar Recording: Innovative Approaches to Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Care During COVID-19
The Innovative Approaches to Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Care During COVID-19 webinar, hosted by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, discussed the challenges that COVID-19 has created for accessing/delivering mental health and substance use treatment. Two state programs, Rhode Island's Buprenorphine Hotline and Utah Title V's Tele-Mental Health Program and featured to highlight how these programs used innovation to meet the behavioral health needs of their respective maternal and child health populations. The materials from the webinar are now available.

Partners and National Initiatives

Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) Program Call for Proposals is open!
The CATCH program is a national initiative of The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that supports pediatricians to collaborate within their communities to plan and/or implement projects that advance the health of all children. The CATCH Call for Proposals (for pediatricians and residents) is open through January 27, 2021 at 3pm CT. Pediatricians and residents with innovative ideas to plan or implement initiatives that address critical child health issues in their local communities may apply for $10,000 and $2,000, respectively. This cycle there is targeted funding opportunities for rural health initiatives. The resident Call for Proposals guidelines include targeted funding opportunities for oral health, community pediatrics, environmental health, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, emergency medicine, and mental health initiatives. Questions? Reach out to CATCH staff at catch@aap.org. To learn more about CATCH visit aap.org/CATCH.
The Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program
The Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program provides funding to support innovative, community-based initiatives to improve the health status of infants, children, adolescents, and families in rural and other underserved communities by increasing their access to preventive care and services. This story highlights one grantee's innovative effort of making lemonade out of lemons; faced with a lack of personal protective equipment, they found creative safety materials for families and then went the extra mile and developed their own hand sanitizer product: The Good Stuff.
Maternal and Child Health Journal Article: Special Issue: Deaf Child Health in an International Context
The recently published articles listed below were featured in the November 2020 edition of the Maternal and Child Health Journal. Dr. Julia Hecht and Dr. Wyatte Hall, members of the AAP Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program subcommittee, served as guest editors for this special issue on Health of the Deaf Child in an International Context. Abstracts for the articles are linked below.

Infographic: COVID-19 is Impacting Pediatric Hearing Health
The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM), with sponsorship from The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) EHDI program, developed an infographic for pediatricians and family practice providers to address challenges with newborn hearing during the pandemic. This resource is a direct result of concerns from multiple EHDI stakeholders regarding disruptions to pediatric hearing healthcare, such as: missing or questionable newborn hearing screening results, delayed diagnosis, and interruptions of audiological management.
Key Themes and Resources from the Children with Medical Complexity Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN)
Supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) and hosted in collaboration with The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Boston University's Children with Medical Complexity CoIIN project is hosting ECHO sessions focused in caring for children with medical complexity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Boston University team is archiving key themes, resources, and tools discussed during each ECHO session. Those who are interested in participating in this ECHO and have not yet applied are invited to contact Benjamin Plant (bplant@bu.edu) or Amy Shah (ashah@aap.org) for more information. ECHO sessions are held twice monthly on Wednesday at 11 am Eastern time.
Moving Beyond the Family Engagement Check Box: An Innovative Partnership to Promote Authentic Family Engagement in Systems Change
A new report published by the Center for Study of Social Policy, developed in collaboration with Family Voices, describes the Pediatrics Supporting Parents national initiative. This initiative promotes social and emotional development of young children. The report presents a case study for implementing family engagement and offers insights into best practices for ensuring meaningful partnerships while promoting social and emotional development of young children.
Using the National Standards as a Framework for Partnering with Others
Use the national standards as a framework for partnering with others to improve outcomes for CYSHCN. Title V CYSHCN Programs address challenges that are often complex in an ever-changing landscape. Title V CYSHCN agencies are critical partners, and often they are leaders of multisector collaborations aimed to eliminate siloes and advance common goals. The National Standards for Systems of Care for CYSHCN is a helpful framework to bring together nontraditional (such as community-based organizations, community health workers) and traditional partnerships (such as family-led organizations, health systems) to collaborate to improve systems of care for CYSHCN and their families.
The Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Seeks Public Feedback for Strategic Plan
The Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) seeks public comments and suggestions as we develop a vision for the future of maternal and child health.

MCHB Strategic Plan
We are developing a new Strategic Plan to provide a roadmap for MCHB's future. The strategic plan will guide MCHB's efforts to advance the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families in the United States. We seek your innovative ideas, experience, and feedback to ensure the strategic plan positions MCHB to:

Respond effectively to future needs of maternal and child health (MCH) populations
Accelerate improvement in equitable MCH health and well-being outcomes
Incorporate public health advancements
Leverage new technologies
Translate emerging MCH evidence into practice