Funded through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, this project supports public health and clinical care partnerships at the local level to increase local jurisdictions’ ability to protect, respond, and support pregnant people and their infants from emerging threats. To support these efforts, NACCHO convened the MIP Collaborative Workgroup comprised of local health department officials and staff with expertise and interest in the intersectionality of preparedness, infectious disease, maternal-child health, and/or birth defects. The MIP Workgroup identified variations, gaps, and promising practices in coordinating response and surveillance of the impact of infectious diseases on pregnant people and infants; engaged in peer-to-peer learning to support LHDs with responding to and managing the impact of infectious disease on MCH populations; and shared lessons learned from previous infectious disease preparedness practices.

As part of this project, NACCHO also selected three LHDs -- Brazos County Health District (BCHD) in Texas, Fort Bend County Health & Human Services (FBCHHS) in Texas, and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) in California -- to serve as MIP Demonstration Sites and develop projects to improve outcomes for MCH populations at the local level. NACCHO facilitated virtual action planning processes to support these health departments in identifying priorities for cross-disciplinary collaboration and increasing prioritization of pregnant people and infants in their jurisdictions.