Welcome to the fall issue of the PCHHC Newsletter!
We are excited to premiere our new PCHHC Initiative logo (see above). This logo is one of many new products that have been developed as part of the Show Your Love campaign. A full launch of the campaign will take place in early 2013. Look for details on how to access these new materials in the January newsletter.
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A Report Back from the 2nd European Summit on Preconception Health
By Sarah Verbiest
The second European Summit took place in the Netherlands on October 4-5, 2012. The two day event included about 150 representatives from Denmark, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, the UK, the US, Sweden, India, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. The program consisted of 9 invited lectures and 60 short "flash" research presentations. There were round table sessions during lunch and the group was given a reception at the Rotterdam City Hall. The presentations showcased a wide variety of research including: environmental impacts on early fetal growth; epigenetics; folic acid; preconception care for women with chronic diseases, assisted reproduction, and the impact of father's age and health on birth outcomes. The presentations also highlighted some of the common challenges we face which include: low provider engagement in providing preconception health; unintended pregnancy/low reproductive awareness, engaging men and the need for more research in many areas.
There was also lively discussion about the ethics of preconception health (see article below). Work is underway in Europe to review policy guidelines and to create a model to demonstrate the return on investment for different components of preconception care. There was wide interest in using technology and social media to reach women with personalized preconception health information. It was very encouraging to see all of the excitement, research and partnership in motion in Europe. There is much that we can learn from each other and great interest in collaboration.
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Preconception Health Goes Global
With significant preconception health partnerships in the U.S. (PCHHC) and Europe (PrePreg Network) in place and emerging interest in the topic by the World Health Organization, the promotion of the importance of preconception health is now gaining its place on the larger world stage. Click here to read more.
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Preconception Resource Center Launches
The Preconception Health and Health Care Resource Center is a comprehensive web directory of hyperlinks to tools and resources designed to advance the health of men and women of reproductive age. Materials and strategies are grouped into four categories: 1) health education materials for women and men; 2) clinical strategies and model programs; 3) policy strategies and resources; and 4) state and local strategies and model programs. This resource was developed by the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the CDC, CityM  atCH, Johnson Group Consulting, Inc., the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the National PCHHC Initiative, and the UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health. |
Spotlight on... Preconception Work in Denver
By Theresa Mickiewicz and Kellie Teter
Denver Public Health (DPH) is a department of Denver Health, a safety net hospital and community health clinic system in Denver, Colorado. DPH is approaching preconception health from a Life Course perspective by engaging consumers, health care providers and community stakeholders in three Pre/Inter-conception health projects:
Healthy Today for a Baby Someday provides community-based organizations (CBO) staff with training, materials, and ongoing technical assistance to support the delivery of a 90 minute intervention for consumers. Project materials, a poster presentation with results from the implementation to date, and copies of the booklet used by consumers during the intervention are available here.
The Denver Collaborative was initiated through a call from CityMatCH to form collaborations to reduce substance exposed pregnancies. In late 2012, the Denver Collaborative will begin offering mini-trainings to Denver Health providers on reducing alcohol exposed pregnancy through screening and brief advice in preparation for universal screening for women of childbearing age on alcohol use in the Community Health Clinic system.
Perinatal Periods of Risk analysis (PPOR) is both a community approach and an analytic framework for investigating and addressing infant mortality in urban settings. It is an effective way for communities to mobilize and prioritize actions based on the best evidence available. DPH applied this analysis to their state data and found a striking disparity in infant mortality by race and ethnicity. These deaths are predominantly due to maternal health issues that need to be addressed prior to pregnancy. In Phase II of the analysis DPH will engage community partners as we investigate the root causes of these disparities.
Many thanks to Denver Public Health for participating in this month's Spotlight On...! We would love to feature YOUR organization in an upcoming newsletter - please email pchhcnews@gmail.com for details.
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Veterans Day 2012
 In honor of this Veterans Day (November 12), we would like to honor and give thanks to all of our women and men in uniform.
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About the Newsletter
Thanks for reading! As of August 2012, this newsletter is hosted by a new account. If you have a link to subscribe to the newsletter on your website and would like to request an updated link, or have any other questions about the newsletter, please email pchhcnews@gmail.com.
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Links of Interest
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The PrePreg Network was formed in 2010 for preconception health researchers across Europe.
Act against Europe's most common birth defects provides an overview of policies that could help prevent neural tube defects in Europe and calls for better prevention strategies and maternal health policies.
The MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit studies the interplay of causes acting at different stages of the life course and how environmental influences modulate gene expression to produce disease.
EUROmediCAT is a new surveillance network studying the safety of medication use in pregnancy. They also have information for non-pregnant women who take these medications.
The July 2012 Issue of the Journal of Community Genetics features the genetic aspects of preconception consultation in primary care.
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Newsletter
| This e-newsletter is archived. Find back issues of the newsletter and more information about improving preconception health and health care here.
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