The process of evaluating policies, assigning priority levels, and plotting the feasibility and impact of those policies helps local health departments make informed decisions. Recently, NACCHO partnered with the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) to convene a newly formed Subject Matter Expert (SME) Council to prioritize feasible policies for local and state health departments. 

NACCHO co-created the SME Council as part of an initiative to identify and enact innovative policies addressing non-medical factors to improve the health of maternal and child health (MCH) populations. The SME Council brings together 30 leading organizations across the country, all recognized experts in nutrition security and healthy housing. They provide expertise on how these non-medical factors impact the health and well-being of MCH populations in addition to policy solutions to improve MCH outcomes. 

In March 2025, the SME Council met in person to review and give feedback on a policy menu focused on housing and nutrition security to support maternal and child health. Council members were divided into state and local groups to select 5-8 priority policies and assess their feasibility and impact. The results (included below) highlight the differences in perspectives between state and local stakeholders regarding policy prioritization and the degree to which they are feasible and impactful.  

Local health departments can use the Feasibility and Impact Matrix as a decision-making tool when considering policy options within their community context.  NACCHO provided a completed template from the SME Council and a blank version to help replicate the activity. 

Access the completed and blank Feasibility and Impact Matrix Templates by clicking here. 

This publication is supported by grant #1 U1XMC54192‐01‐00 awarded to the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program (MCH PIP). The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the HRSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

If you have questions on leveraging this resource, please email Victoria Thompson at [email protected].