2011 Spring Conference

The 12th Annual Spring Conference themed, Healthy Start 20 Years and Beyond: Improving the Health of Families, was held March 6-9 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.

The conference included several workshop sessions and forums that were open to the public. There were three main Plenary sessions, the first beginning on Monday morning entitled The Voice of Healthy Start featured families who have benefited from Healthy Start services, the second and third on Tuesday -- Strategies for Success: Moving Healthy Start Forward Another 20 Years in the morning and Thinking Outside of the Box: Innovative Strategies to Advance Healthy Start in the afternoon. On Tuesday morning, the Assistant Secretary of Health, Howard Koh, MD, and Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, Administrator for the Human Services and Resource Administration addressed conference attendees.

Dr. Howard Koh and Dr. Mary Wakefield

Camara Jones, MD, MPH was the keynote speaker at the Monday luncheon of the NHSA 12th Annual Spring conference. Dr. Jones is a family physician and epidemiologist whose work focuses on the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation. She is the Research Director on Social Determinants of Health and Equity in the Epidemiology and Analysis Program Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Jones is also a Co-Chair of the Healthy People 2020 Social Determinants of Health Workgroup.

 

Michael C. Lu MD, MPH also spoke at this year's conference. He is an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and public health at UCLA. Voted one of the best doctors in America since 2005, Dr. Lu also teaches obstetrics and gynecology and maternal and child health at UCLA. He has done extensive research regarding preconception health, as well as the racial and ethnic disparities that effect maternal and child health.

 

Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH former Director of Health of Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and current Director of the USF Public Health Practice and Public Health Leadership Institute spoke as well. Dr. Troutman has a distinguished record of achievement in public health leadership, research, and advocacy. He was a featured public health expert in the ground-breaking PBS documentary series Unnatural Causes: Is inequality making us sick?

The conference culminated with a kick-off rally to prepare conference participants as they headed to Capitol Hill to meet with their respective Senators and Members of Congress about the importance of supporting Healthy Start programs in communities.

  Conference Presentations
    

• Indianapolis' PPOR Story 
  Enhancing Infant Survival and Maternal and Family Well-Being Through Partnerships and Collaboration
  Yvonne Beasley, MN, RN, Indianapolis Healthy Start
• Belly Buddies 
  Prenatal and Birthing Support 
• Family Planning Access 
  
  An Elusive Resource for Interconceptional Women
  Virginia Berry White, BSW, MSW, LMSW, Low Country Healthy Start 
  Sandra Mobley, PhD, RN, Enterprise Community Healthy Start 
  Dana Cruz Santana, MSW, MPH, CHES, Improving Pregnancy Outcomes Program
• Twin Cities Healthy Start Pregnancy Psychosocial Risk Screening Validation Study 
  
  Amy Godecker, Ph.D. 
  Stacye Ballard, B.A., Minneapolis Department of Health and Family Support
• Measuring Efficacy of Staff Training 
  Rebeca M. Guzmán, LMSW, Detroit Healthy Start, ICC – Learning Community 
• Enhancing Engagement and Treatment for Maternal Depression through the Home Visiting Team 
  
  Sarah Kye Price, PhD, School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth
  Amy L. Strite, LCSW, C.O.O., University Family Lifeline
• Puff Free Pregnancy 
  
  Effectiveness of the Program on an Ohio Medicaid Population 
  Janice Linehan, PA-C 
  Amy Poole-Yaeger, MD 
• A Descriptive Study of Depression, Substance Abuse, and Intimate Partner Violence Among Pregnant Women 
  
  Robetta McKenzie, Ed.D., Augusta Partnership for Children Inc., Executive Director/Healthy Start Project Director
  Kisha B. Holden, PhD, Assistant Professor, Morehouse School of Medicine
  Vikki Pruitt, MPH, Deputy Director/Healthy Start Project Coordinator 
  Katrina Aaron, MSA, Community Health Programs Research/Evaluation Manager 
• Sisters Engaged in Treatment 
  Marguerite Morgan LMSW\PhD\CAAC IMH-E (II), Mental Health Coordinator, Strong Beginnings-Grand Rapids, MI 
• The Blues Prior, During and After Labor: 
  
  Es Dificil ser Mujer? The Health Education Action for Latinas (HEAL) Model 
  Maria Lourdes F. Reyes, MD, MPH, Director of California programs, PCI 
• Dad's Doing it Right! 
  
  Presented by The Male Team From Tampa
  Michael Morgan, Outreach Worker
  Phillip Rowland, Consultant
  Kenneth Scarborough, Male Involvement Coordinator 
• The Benefits of Early Childhood Development in a Healthy Start Home Visiting Model 
  Francine Tucker, M.S. SPED/ECE, Baltimore Heathy Start, Inc. 
• Atlanta Healthy Start (AHS) Sisters with Voices 
  
  A Consumer Led Consortium 
  Natasha Worthy, MSW, Atlanta Healthy Start Program Manager 

Exhibitors