The mission of OMCFH is to provide leadership to support state and local efforts to design and build systems of care that assure the health and well-being of all West Virginians. Most OMCFH resources are allocated to develop systems of care for population-based and target-specific prevention services, as well as build infrastructure for support of maternal, child and family health populations. OMCFH maintains 156 staff in professional, technical and administrative support positions and 18 temporary positions. In addition, the Office maintains five paid parent positions. Experiences gained from administrative oversight of varied grant requirements, program models, funding streams and data driven decision making, place OMCFH in a unique position to effectively design and deliver evidence based MCH services. Its leadership has over 50 years of combined experience in Title V specific roles. The OMCFH uses a leadership team management approach with the Office Director, Division Directors and Quality Assurance Monitoring Director actively participating in decision-making and strategic planning. Below are brief biographical sketches of the Office Director, Senior Management, and key staff:
James Jeffries, MS-Title V Office Director
Education:
Master of Science, Mountain State University, Beckley, WV, 2006
Bachelor’s Degree, Physical Education, WV Institute of Technology, Montgomery, WV, 1991
Professional:
Director, Division of Infant, Child and Adolescent Health Division Director, Title V CSHCN Director, OMCFH/BPH (2013-2018)
Director, HealthCheck Program, OMCFH/BPH (2009-9/2013)
Director, Quality Assurance Monitoring, OMCFH/BPH (2008-2009)
Quality Assurance Monitor, OMCFH/BPH (1998-2008)
Kathryn G. Cummons, MSW, LICSW, ACSW-Director; Division of Research, Evaluation and Planning,
Education:
Master of Social Work, West Virginia University, 1988
Bachelor of Social Work, West Virginia University, 1974
Minors in Psychology and Speech
Professional:
Director, Division of Research, Evaluation and Planning, OMCFH/BPH (2000-Present)
Clinical Social Worker, Comprehensive Psychological Services (1999-2000)
Clinical Social Worker, Charleston Area Medical Center (1989-1990) and (1998-1999)
Director of Social Work Services and Discharge Planning, CAMC (1990-1998)
Administrator, Northern Tier Youth Services, Foster Care (1984-1989)
Supervisor, Lutheran Youth and Family Services, Residential Treatment (1981-1984)
Education:
Healthcare Administration, MS, Marshall University, 2019
Secondary Education, BA, Marshall University, 2001
Professional:
Director, Division of Infant, Child and Adolescent Health, OMCFH (2019-Present)
Director, Division of Perinatal and Women’s Health, BPH (2018-2019)
Program Director, West Virginia Oral Health Program, BPH (2014-2018)
Workforce Coordinator, West Virginia Oral Health Program, BPH (2013-2014)
Program Coordinator, WV Asthma Education and Prevention Program, BPH (2012-2013)
Program Assistant, WV Cardiovascular Health Program, BPH (2010-2012)
Director of Education, Sylvan Learning Center (2007-2008)
Service Coordinator, Autism Services Center (2006-2007)
Director of Education, Sylvan Learning Center (2003-2006)
Teacher, Chesapeake (Ohio) Union Exempted Village School District (2001-2003)
Aimee S. Bragg, LNHA, Director; Division of Perinatal & Women’s Health
Education:
Bachelor of Science, Health Services Administration, 1993
Professional:
Director, Division of Perinatal & Women’s Health, OMCFH (2019-Present)
Assistant Administrator/HR Director, Jackie Withrow Hospital, BHF/DHHR (2005-2019)
Administrator, Heartland of Keyser, HCR Manor Care (2000-2002)
Assistant Administrator/HR Director, Heartland of Beckley, HCR Manor Care (1997-2000)
Melissa Baker, MA, MCH Epidemiologist, PI/Director PRAMS
Education:
Public Health Distance Education, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 1997/98
Master of Arts, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, 1989
Bachelor of Arts, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, 1987
Professional:
MCH Epidemiologist, PI/Director PRAMS, OMCFH/BPH (2002-Present)
PRAMS Coordinator, OMCFH/BPH (1996-2002)
Legislative Analyst, WV Legislature (1991-1996)
The Office participates in West Virginia’s civil service employment system that is governed by its Division of Personnel (DOP). DOP works with agencies to establish, criteria for personnel classifications, develop registers of qualified applicants and assures that agencies follow established policies and procedures. Recently, DOP has also been working with the Office to develop plans for the recruitment and retention of certain employment classifications including nurses and epidemiologists. While the Office recruits its workforce from throughout the United States, it is difficult to retain employees that are not from West Virginia because of lower than average salaries. In July 2019, salaries for all epidemiology classifications within BPH were increased in hopes of retaining existing staff and recruiting more easily for vacancies as they become open. Retention efforts often focus on facilitating career goals, maintaining connections to family, and State benefits (including health insurance, generous leave policies, and an employer sponsored pension plan).
In order to improve workforce capacity, OMCFH leadership actively participates in activities sponsored by the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) including the annual conference, webinars and regional discussions. Additional staff are also encouraged to participate in specific activities offered by AMCHP, specifically Program Managers/Coordinators and Epidemiologists.
Staff also have the opportunity to participate in various Department of Health and Human Resources workgroups through the Secretary’s Health Innovation Collaborative, Leadership Institute, new manager Boot Camp, and the Bureau for Public Health’s Quality Improvement Initiative. In addition, the Bureau for Public Health’s Commissioner and State Health Officer requires participation by the Office Director in monthly Bureau level leadership team meetings.
The Office provides ongoing support for staff to attend professional development opportunities both in-state and out-of- state to assure the understanding and knowledge of evidence-based practice. These events support professional staff in maintaining necessary credentials related to their field. Opportunities include the Women’s Health Conference, Public Health Conference, KidStrong Conference, Celebrating Connections, Rural Health Conference, the State social worker conference, various National Program meetings including Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), CityMatCH, MCH Epi and other national, state and local training programs.
Challenges have included state level position sweeps and retirements. The Office has been creative in using vacant positions to reallocate to positions requiring higher educational levels with higher salaries. These positions can often be shared between Divisions. Generally, federally funded positions have been exempt from these restrictions, so the Block Grant along with other federal funds enable WV to maintain its workforce and continue moving forward. OMCFH has been able to assist other Offices during the Pandemic with developing data collection tools, data entry, technical assistance for local health departments, contact tracing, syndromic surveillance, follow-up with pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 and their infants and identifying and providing surveillance for children with MIS-C.
In addition, to utilizing federal funds to maintain adequate staffing, the Office also embeds personnel employed by its partners. For example, personnel from West Virginia University, the Board of Pharmacy, the Office of Drug Control Policy and other local community agencies are located within the OMCFH main office. In some instances, this has even allowed former OMCFH personnel to be promoted to other positions in those agencies while they continue to function as OMCFH staff.
To Top
Narrative Search