Candace Davis
MCH Contract Manager
CDPHE

FY21 MCH-OPHP Summary Report Preview

Forty-two local public health agencies’ MCH contracts are combined with the Office of Public Health Practice, Planning, and Local Partnership’s (OPHP) master contract. This master contract consists of multiple funding sources including state and federal dollars. MCH dollars are allocated based on a formula with agencies receiving awards spanning a wide spectrum - anywhere between $1,500 and $53,210! For our OPHP-contracted agencies, MCH is just a piece of the work. These agencies recently submitted their FY21 Reporting Form for their work on the FY16-20 MCH Priorities. Below, I share a glimpse of their experiences.

Needing to Pivot

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 was the most common challenge to implementing the MCH program in FY21, with 93% of OPHP-contracted agencies highlighting the pandemic on their report. This impact presented itself in multiple ways with staff deployed to the COVID-19 response and not having face-to-face access to the community to do priority work being the two most prevalent circumstances. With several agencies, MCH priority work was paused due to the COVID-19 response becoming the primary need. 

Agencies who had the capacity to work on implementing their priority strategies had to find creative ways to offer services to their communities. Many agencies took the virtual route which has helped significantly but introduced new limitations. Chaffee County’s Public Health RN Cassondra Franco reported, “COVID forced our nurse home visitors to do the majority of our visits virtually. Fortunately, that was still an option because we found many of our families were feeling very lonely and isolated and appreciated the connection, even though it was not in person. But virtual visits are not the same and do not feel as personable as in-person meetings. Therefore, the relationships did not feel as strong as usual and it seemed as though some mothers did not open up as much as normal.” An agency working on Early Childhood Obesity Prevention recounted not being able to get accurate weights during phone visits. And an agency working on Pregnancy-Related Depression reported having virtual support groups as a challenge due to the barrier the virtual platform creates for those without means to the internet or laptops. 

Another overarching challenge listed in reports was related to workforce stability/capacity. 40% of agencies listed staff capacity, change in leadership, and/or staff turnover as a challenge. With about a third of the agencies reporting both this challenge and COVID-19, it’s truly remarkable to see what they’ve accomplished in their MCH programs.   

Making Great Strides

One agency reported that their key success was that they simply survived. That in itself deserves acknowledgement. Some agencies were able to maintain core services such as developmental screenings, WIC direct services, and HCP care coordination. There are also agencies that found ways to make meaningful connections with their communities. Some examples include organizing a breastfeeding coalition, connecting community members to local support groups for mental health, developing a postpartum support group, and partnering with a local school to improve food security for children. With the challenges they’ve faced, this is no small feat. Their successes highlight their commitment to the Maternal Child Health population. 

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