Improving maternal and child health outcomes requires strong coordination across programs and communities. Through the Partnership for National Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Leadership, MPHI teams supported national efforts to strengthen collaboration and shared learning across the MCH ecosystem.

As one of four awardees in this federally funded partnership, MPHI staff worked alongside The League of Voices for Mothers, Babies, Fathers, and Families to support Healthy Start programs nationwide and reduce fragmentation across MCH systems. The partnership connects Healthy Start sites with Title V, Urban MCH, and Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) programs, helping leaders respond more effectively to persistent and emerging maternal and infant health challenges.

In the project’s first year, our teams and The League expanded national collaboration by engaging more than 50 national partners through the Maternal & Child Health Consortium. The team gathered direct input from Healthy Start professionals through surveys and interactive sessions at the national All‑Grantee Meeting, identifying shared challenges and priority support needs. In response, we helped deliver timely resources, peer learning opportunities, and rapid‑response programming through webinars and virtual and in-person learning sessions.

Looking ahead, the project is focused on strengthening leadership capacity within Healthy Start programs, including development of a leadership curriculum for project directors. While national scope, this work also supported Healthy Start efforts in Michigan, including sites in Wayne, Genesee, Kent, Chippewa, and Kalamazoo counties.