The Every Woman Southeast Initiative could not happen without support from partners at the local and regional level. We appreciate the time and energy people from all eight states have provided as we’ve taken our first steps forward in developing a partnership. Our initiative is still so new that we have not developed specific guidelines regarding membership, terms of service, etc. We welcome help from anyone who is interested in volunteering his or her time and expertise. If you are interested in getting involved in our initiative, please click on the “get involved” link. You can also contact sarahv [at] med [dot] unc [dot] edu (Sarah Verbiest), leadership team coordinator, at 919-843-7865.
Leadership Team
Our leadership team is still growing and evolving. Our current structure ensures communication back to state teams by having at least one liaison person from each state as a member of the leadership team. We will continue to recruit members as we move forward with specific initiatives over the next year.
- Emily Adkins, KY Dept of Public Health, Division of Women’s Health
- Robin Allison, Alabama Chapter of the March of Dimes
- Carol Brady, Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition, Florida
- Megan Branham, South Carolina Chapter of the March of Dimes
- Cindy Chafin, Middle TN State University
- Juanita Graham, MS State Department of Health
- Lynette Hicks, TN Dept of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health
- Candice Jett, Region IV Office of Women’s Health
- Erin McClain, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Cntr for Maternal & Infant Health
- Merry-K Moos, UNC-CH, Department of OB/GYN
- Amy Mullenix, North Carolina Preconception Health Campaign
- Amy Nienhuis, Palmetto Health
- Tracey Reed, Regional Office of the March of Dimes
- Lori Reeves, Florida Chapter of the March of Dimes
- Deborah Roegge, AnMed, Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital
- Kandi Spencer, Georgia Chapter of the March of Dimes
- Sarah Verbiest, UNC-CH, Cntr for Maternal & Infant Health
- Alvina Long Valentin, NC Division of Public Health, Women’s Health Branch
- Shelby Weeks, NC Division of Public Health, Healthy Start Program
- Kaprice Welsh, GA Dept of Community Health, Division of Women’s / Perinatal Health
- Connie White, Kentucky
State Teams
Members of each state team are listed on their respective websites. State teams are core to the success of our initiative. In the first phase of our work about 4-6 representatives from each state participated on planning calls in preparation for our first meeting. Four members from each state along with regional partners participated in our first in-person meeting on March 2, 2010. These volunteers remain engaged in the initiative largely by sharing information back with their colleagues and networks. Some states have strong listservs / partnerships already convened on the topic of preconception health while others are still forming their groups.
Regional Partners
- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) – Jessica Hawkins
- Association of OB/GYNS (ACOG) – Dr. Raymond Cox
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Betsy Johnson, Lauren Zapata and Allison Johnson
- Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health and Human Services – Marilyn Steverson
- Johnson Consulting, Inc – Kay Johnson
- March of Dimes – Tracey Reed, Norm Hess and Janice Biermann
- National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) – Erin Cox
- Region IV Office of Women’s Health – Candice Jett
- Region IV US Public Health Service – Sharon Ricks
- Region IV Network for Data Management and Utilization – Julie DeClerque
Friends
This initiative has a small but growing list of individuals who are interested in being a part of this initiative. Interested in joining us? Click on the “Get Involved” link to get started.