As the state’s chief MCH strategist, the MCH Director works to broaden the scope of partnerships beyond the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and other state agencies. DHSS brings partners and programs together across programmatic silos and organizational boundaries to enhance a systems approach to ensure access to quality health care and support services and address social drivers of health inequities. MCH leadership participates in the Department of Social Services (DSS), MO HealthNet Division Maternal/Infant Health Coordination meetings to collaborate on maternal and infant health projects and initiatives. The MCH Director serves on several Advisory Boards, including the Center of Excellence for MCH Education, Science and Practice; Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Project (MO-CPAP); Missouri Maternal Health Access Project (MO-MHAP); Missouri Congenital Syphilis Review Board; ParentLink; Substance Use Disorder Community Grant; Missouri Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (MOAIMH-EC); Missouri Public Health Association-Section for Public Health Nursing; and Missouri Institute for Community Health. DHSS contracts with ParentLink to manage TEL-LINK, Missouri’s toll-free MCH hotline; implement a statewide MCH Navigator program to connect parents, caregivers and families, especially the underserved, with information, resources and support; and maintain the MCH WarmLine. Through partnership with the University of Missouri Kansas City-Institute for Human Development, MCH leadership engages with Missouri Family to Family to provide tools, resources, training, and peer support to people with disabilities, their families and providers.

DHSS hosted a Boundary Spanning Leadership (BSL) workshop, facilitated by ASTHO and AMCHP as part of the PRISM Learning Community, to foster trust among partners and develop collaborative solutions to address emerging MCH needs. BSL training participants, including representatives from state agencies, community-based organizations, academic institutions, and LPHAs, established direction, alignment and commitment to address MCH priorities.

ASHP partners with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to update modules in the TEAMS (Training, Education, Assistance, Mentoring, Support) framework to address environmental policies and practices related to infection control in the school setting and engage the Missouri Chapter of the AAP to sponsor conferences and training opportunities for school nurses and local physicians. The State School Nurse Consultant serves as a HUB team member for multiple ECHOs and serves on advisory committees for the Medicaid in Schools Program, Center of Safe Schools, Missouri Association of School Nurses, and MO Eating Disorders Council. ASHP partners with the Missouri Foundation for Health, Missouri Legal Aid Society and DSS Family Support Division to provide training on assisting families to understand the Medicaid system; Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Food Service regarding family applications for free and reduced meals; and Missouri School Board Association regarding new laws and policies related to children in schools.

State early childhood (EC) programs, including Home Visiting (HV), Safe Cribs, Parent Advisory Councils, Child Care Inclusion, and Child Care Health Consultation programs, are consolidated in the Office of Childhood (OOC) at DESE. To meet the authorizing legislation requirements of Section 509 of the Social Security Act, an interagency contract between DHSS and DESE establishes: DHSS authority and oversight for Title V allocations to DESE and the programs receiving Title V funding; accountability measures and reporting requirements related to Title V funding allocations; and interagency MCH data sharing and reporting requirements. A MOU was executed between DHSS and the DESE Maternal, Infant and EC Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program to collaborate on programs and activities to improve MCH outcomes.

The MCH Director, Department of Mental Health (DMH) EC Wellness Expert, and OOC Outreach Program Manager are drafting an interagency Memorandum of Agreement and partnering to maximize resources, reduce duplication of services, provide a coordinated and comprehensive statewide system of services, and improve system-level leadership, alignment, capacity, and coordination of program activities. Technical assistance has been requested from AMCHP to support using AMCHP’s A Roadmap for Collaboration among Title V, Home Visiting, and Early Childhood Systems Programs: Accelerating Improvements in Early Childhood Outcomes (Roadmap). System-wide implementation of the Roadmap will be facilitated via EC Summits, convened by DMH.

The Bureau of Special Health Care Needs (SHCN) contracts with LPHAs to provide service coordination on a regional basis for the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Program. The regional Service Coordinators specialize in resource referrals and are knowledgeable and connected with local businesses, agencies, churches, and philanthropic organizations. SHCN staff members are involved with various councils, including the Missouri Assistive Technology Advisory Council, the Missouri Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders, the Missouri Interagency Transition Team, and the Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council. The Bureau also administers the Missouri Brain Injury Advisory Council.

The Newborn Blood Spot Program contracts with three Genetic Tertiary Centers and four Cystic Fibrosis Centers for follow-up on abnormal newborn screening results. The centers provide comprehensive specialty care for newborns and their families and are often identified as a child’s medical home on parent surveys. The centers also serve as subject experts and consultants for primary care providers who care for newborns throughout the state. The newborn screening program also collaborates with birth hospitals, midwives, LPHAs, and community health workers to disseminate information and education to families about newborn screening.

The Newborn Hearing Screening Program contracts with Missouri State University for the MOHear Project and an audiology consultant. MOHears help parents understand their baby’s diagnosis and early intervention options. The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Quality Improvement workgroup, the Missouri Genetic Advisory Committee’s Newborn Hearing Screening Standing Committee, and the Kansas City Early Hearing Detection and Early Intervention-Learning Community contribute to the improvement of the Missouri Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) system. The newborn hearing screening program manager also serves on the DESE LEAD-K Committee Advisory Board to establish recommendations for the state to use when monitoring or assessing signed or verbal language development.

The state breastfeeding coordinator (SBC) is supported by Title V and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) funding, allowing the SBC to integrate MCH breastfeeding initiatives into WIC local agency (LA) services and ensure promotion of WIC breastfeeding services to all eligible MCH populations. The SBC works with the Bureau of Community Health and Wellness to plan and deliver breastfeeding initiatives for the CDC State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) grant. Partnering with WIC increases participation in initiatives like the Breastfeeding Friendly Worksite and Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare programs to increase breastfeeding support in the community. Many WIC LAs also participate in local breastfeeding coalitions and encourage hospitals to become Baby-Friendly or to be recognized as a Show-Me 5 hospital. The SBC and SPAN program staff partner on the Missouri Baby-Friendly Hospital Collaborative, a monthly webinar series that provides learning and networking opportunities to hospital staff. The SBC also participates in the Missouri Breastfeeding Coalition, which hosts bi-monthly virtual networking opportunities for local breastfeeding coalitions and other stakeholders. The SBC works with community partners, such as the Bootheel Resource Network (Unite Us), a collaborative closed loop electronic resource and referral platform, and doula organizations around the state to promote, protect and support breastfeeding.

The State Dental Director and Office of Dental Health (ODH) partner with DSS, the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health (MCOH), the Missouri Primary Care Association (MPCA) and the Missouri Dental Association (MDA) to promote oral health education. MDA is integral in increasing Medicaid enrollment rates and advancing innovative methods to deliver dental care to the underserved and coordinates the Missouri Mission of Mercy (MOMOM), which provides free dental care to Missourians of all ages who cannot otherwise afford or access care.

Additional information regarding Public and Private Partnerships can be found in the individual Population Domain narratives.