The MCH Assessment Division (Assessment) has the responsibility for building data capacity and all analysis-related functions in advancing MCH priorities, including the collection, management, statistical analysis, and reporting of data. Assessment is comprised of 13 positions (11 FTEs), which include epidemiologists, a biostatistician, and project managers, as well as support staff who perform administrative and operational duties within the division. Assessment administers the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), the Oklahoma Toddler Survey (TOTS), the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and the State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI). These projects serve as the main surveillance activities and data capacity enhancements in the Assessment unit. In addition, Assessment is an extensive user of birth and death certificate data and that of the Public Health Oklahoma Client Information System (PHOCIS), the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s data system which captures client information with respect to caseload and service utilization as experienced in contract sites and county health departments.

Paul Patrick, Administrative Program Manager (1.0 FTE), serves as the division supervisor for the Assessment Division. Mr. Patrick holds a Master’s of Public Health in Biostatistics and has greater than 20 years of public health experience with the majority of his career spent in MCH. He serves as the data contact for the Title V MCH Block Grant and has responsibility for writing key sections of the annual report and application. Mr. Patrick’s responsibilities include supervision of Assessment staff, design and oversight of the Title V MCH Five-Year Needs Assessment, and completion of grant applications and performance reports. Mr. Patrick prepares and oversees Assessment’s Institutional Review Board applications for surveillance projects. Funding for the Assessment Administrative Program Manager comes from the Title V MCH Block Grant.

The Senior Biostatistician position (1.0 FTE) with MCH Assessment is held by Binitha Kunnel, MS. In her role, Ms. Kunnel serves as the lead statistical and epidemiologic resource for the MCH Service, providing leadership in interpreting results of analyses and advising MCH leadership in translating results into actionable programming. She has responsibility for performing analysis of PRAMS and TOTS surveillance data, assuring that these data are incorporated into building Title V data capacity. Ms. Kunnel has supervision over the MCH Medicaid Analyst and the SSDI Analyst positions in Assessment. She also assists with directing priority analyses of the OHCA/MCH Medicaid Shared-Data Workgroup. She has more than 10 years of experience in MCH. Ms. Kunnel’s FTE position is funded by the Title V Block Grant, PRAMS, and the State Maternal Health Innovation Program (SMHIP) grant.

The MCH Medicaid Analyst (1.0 FTE) position within Assessment had been vacant since October 2020. In August 2022, Assessment hired Rakel Cleveland (MS, Epidemiology) as the Medicaid Analyst. This position has responsibility for linking and analyzing birth certificate and Medicaid administrative records. Funding for the position is shared by OSDH/MCH and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the state’s Medicaid agency.

Cynthia Bates, MPH in Epidemiology, holds the position of State System Development Initiative (SSDI) Analyst (1.0 FTE) in Assessment, beginning her employment in April 2022. In her role as SSDI Analyst, Ms. Bates serves as the Five-Year Needs Assessment Coordinator for the Title V program. Ms. Bates has primary responsibility for advancing MCH data capacity to include partnering with internal and external entities to develop new datasets, topic-specific analyses, and reporting dashboards. Principally, Ms. Bates is funded with SSDI grant funds (90%), the remainder coming from Title V dollars.

Two other epidemiologists (2.0 FTEs) are employed by Assessment. One, the Child and Adolescent Health Epidemiologist position, is held by Thad Burk, MPH. Mr. Burk has greater than 15 years of employment in MCH as an epidemiologist. He has responsibility for supporting the Child and Adolescent Health (CAH) Division within the MCH Service, providing technical expertise on data analysis and reporting. Likewise, Assessment has a second epidemiologist (Jenna Bellantoni, MPH) who provides support for the Perinatal and Reproductive Health (PRH) Division. Ms. Bellantoni is a new hire for Assessment with her employment beginning in early July 2022. Her work in MCH will focus primarily on family planning program support and developing enhanced reporting and analysis of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. However, Ms. Bellantoni also will support the preparation of the Title V Block Grant Annual Report and Application, along with the completion of the Five-Year Needs Assessment. Funding to support these positions is a combination of Title V, YRBS, PREP, SMHIP, and Title X funds.

Remaining staff (5.0 FTEs) within Assessment consist of an Administrative Assistant, PRAMS-TOTS Programs Manager, PRAMS-TOTS Data Manager, and four temporary, half-time positions employed as phone surveillance staff. Each of these positions serves to support the data capacity, analysis, and evaluation activities performed in Assessment. Funding for positions is allocated from Title V and PRAMS grants.

Assessment continues to collect surveillance data via PRAMS, TOTS, and YRBS, and seeks to develop improved reporting mechanisms, primarily through Tableau dashboards and retooled data products designed for social media presentation. Through SSDI activities, Assessment aims to develop a MCH data portal which will serve as the central online location for all MCH-related data reporting and analytic results. Now that the SSDI Analyst, the Medicaid Analyst and the PRH Epidemiologist positions have been hired, Assessment’s analytic staff is at capacity. While orientation and training of new staff will take some time, it is anticipated that given the quality and experience of the staff, full production of analysis and reporting is anticipated in short order. MCH is expected to enhance and build data capacity to further understanding of health outcomes and health care use patterns among the women, infants and children in Oklahoma.