Leveraging an Academic-Practice Partnership to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in North Carolina

BACKGROUND In 2016, the North Carolina Division of Public Health (DPH) launched the Improving Community Outcomes for Maternal and Child Health (ICO4MCH) program to provide 5 local health departments (LHDs) with financial resources and technical assistance to address 3 aims: improve birth outcomes, reduce infant mortality, and improve health for children from birth to 5 years. METHOD: State legislation established an academic-practice partnership between NCDPH and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to provide program evaluation and implementation coaching to LHDs. ICO4MCH used a collective impact framework, principles of implementation science, and a health equity approach to implement evidence-based strategies to address the program's aims. RESULTS: A shared measurement system was developed by an evaluation stakeholders group led by the NCDPH and UNC in which LHDs reported data on a quarterly basis and the evaluators returned reports to drive improvements. Structured assessments and technical assistance provided by implementation coaches helped grantees address barriers to implementation including cultivating and sustaining a diverse community action team, addressing staff turnover, and using data to drive improvements. LIMITATIONS: It was challenging for grantees to balance community needs and build partnerships in the first year while integrating data from multiple assessments into action plans to meet the performance measures. It was necessary to streamline assessments and reduce indicators to make data more actionable. CONCLUSION: An academic-practice partnership was integral to successful implementation of the ICO4MCH program and may serve as a model for moving evidence-based maternal child health programs to practice in LHDs.