Results from the Colorado Maternal and Child Health Needs Assessment

“Every five years, the Colorado Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Program conducts a statewide needs assessment of the health and well-being of Colorado’s women, children and youth, including children and youth with special health care needs. The process involves collecting data to assess the health status of the MCH population as well as state and local capacity. The process led to the selection of seven MCH priorities for 2016-2020:

• Women’s mental health including pregnancy-related depression
• Reducing disparities in infant mortality among the African-American population
• Early childhood obesity prevention
• Developmental screening and referral systems building
• Youth systems building with a focus on bullying, youth suicide and substance use prevention
• Medical home for children and youth with special health care needs
• Substance use/abuse prevention among the MCH population including marijuana, prescription drug abuse, alcohol and smoking (specific focus to be determined)

These priorities, identified by the Advisory Group, will drive state and local public health work for the next five years. For more information check out MCH Needs Assessment Summary and https://www.colorado.gov/cdphe/mchneedsassessment." [Source: COPrevent]