State and Local Strategies and Programs

Best Practices in Local and State Public Health

Public health practitioners and providers at the national, state and local level will find population-based resources and tools that support the initiation and continuation of efforts to promote optimal preconception health via the websites listed below. Additionally, projects and resources about and for local practice are published in the Preconception Health and Health Care e-newsletters on the Before and Beyond website. Text PCHHC to 22828 or email pchhcnews@gmail.com to subscribe.

Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Innovation Station Best Practices

AMCHP’s Innovation Station is a searchable database of emerging, promising and best practices in maternal and child health. This database allows you to learn more about maternal and child health programs across the United States and to benefit from the lessons learned by your peers. AMCHP’s Innovation Station includes examples of preconception health-related best practices. Each program summary includes activities, evaluation, outcomes, lessons learned and resources. To search for preconception health practices, click here: http://www.amchp.org/programsandtopics/BestPractices/InnovationStation/Pages/default.aspx To learn more about AMCHP’s Best Practices program and/or to submit your work for consideration, visit www.amchp.org/bestpractices.

Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations (ASTHO) Healthy Babies Initiative

ASTHO’s Healthy Babies Initiative challenges public health organizations to improve birth outcomes by reducing infant mortality and prematurity in the United States. This Initiative has brought together a wealth of resources categorized on their website in two ways: by life stage and by scope of resources, including Policy Resources, Community Resources, Organizational Resources, Health IT Resources, Healthcare Provider Resources, and Self-Management Resources. To read about preconception health practices, click here: http://www.astho.org/t/PresidentsChallenge.aspx?id=6932. To learn more about ASTHO’s Healthy Babies Initiative, visit http://www.astho.org/healthybabies/.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Lifecourse Toolbox

Preconception health and the Life Course Model can both guide and inform how women, men, children, and teens can live healthy lives. The Life Course Model helps public health professionals think about where people live, work, learn, and play, and how racism, health care, disease, stress, nutrition and weight, and birth weight, impact these groups across generations. The MCH Life Course Toolbox provides information, new ideas, and tools for using the Life Course Model at local, state, and national levels.

View the MCH Lifecourse Toolbox »

National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Model Practices

NACCHO’s Model Practices Database is an online, searchable collection of innovative best practices in local public health from various public health areas. Users can benefit from their colleagues’ experiences to learn what works, identify strategies on how to re-implement effective programs with good results, and save time and resources. NACCHO’s Model Practices Database includes examples of preconception health-related model (and promising) practices. To search NACCHO’s Model Practice Data base, click here: http://www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices/. If you would like to share your program and/or would like more information about NACCHO’s Model Practice program, visit: http://www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices/appinfo.cfm