The Genesee County Health Department is working with community partners to complete a Maternal and Child Assessment to help us better understand and address the needs of community members across the life course. The State of Michigan is working with local health departments across the state to conduct a Maternal and Child Assessment in their respective counties. We are writing to share information about the assessment and invite your participation. Genesee County is well known for its past work in infant mortality reduction. This new assessment is an opportunity to work collaboratively and expand upon those previous successes, as well as examine the added risks that the current water crisis has placed upon mothers and their children.
The purpose of the Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment is to identify gaps, as well as community strengths, assets, and potential resources to address those needs. Through this process we will review data about health outcomes and behaviors across the life course, we will gather feedback from members of our community, and we will look at the systems in our community that support health. We will use this information to identify strategic issues that, if addressed, would improve health across the life course. We will identify the highest priority issues, and develop goals, objectives, and strategies to improve maternal and child health in our community. The information obtained from this assessment will also guide the Genesee County Health Department in its focus on health disparities and their impact on infant mortality. The assessment process will begin on February 1, 2017 and will conclude in September, 2017.
In order for this process to be successful, we need your input! You can participate by:
- Joining the Genesee County Maternal Child Health Network
- Sharing, collecting, and interpreting data
- Helping us identify issues that, if addressed, would improve health
- Working with us to set priorities, goals, and objectives
- Supporting us in planning for action
Objectives for this collaborative assessment include:
- Identify existing Maternal Child Health stake holders
- Identify Maternal Child Health gaps and needs
- Create strategies to decrease infant morality
- Identify the added risks caused by the water crisis
If you are interested in participating, please plan to attend our first meeting on February 1, 2017 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. The meeting will take place in the Genesee AB Room, inside the GISD Center for Countywide Programs located at 5075 Pilgrim Rd, Flint, MI 48507. During this meeting we will share more information about the assessment process, complete a visioning process, and identify the values that will guide our work together. If you cannot attend this meeting, but would still like to participate in the assessment process, please let us know! You can contact Brad Snyder at 810-768-7971 or via email to bsnyder@gchd.us to RSVP, let us know you would like to participate, or to ask any questions you might have about the assessment.
We hope you will be able to join in this important effort!
Sincerely,
Brad Snyder
