Date of Publication
2023
Abstract
Background: The voices of those with lived experiences (LE) are integral in advancing health equity and eliminating disparities within maternal and child health (MCH). Current literature reports the value of engaging people with LE to inform operations that will better serve and advocate for their target populations. The goal was to assess the landscape of MCH serving organizations and pathways to engage people with lived experiences state-wide within Vermont.
Methods: The first phase of data collection utilized an internet search targeting MCH topics as well as contribution from the Vermont Department of Health to collect qualitative and quantitative data on MCH organizations. 74 organizations were categorized based on: (1) zip codes of office locations or (2) zip codes in which they provide services. Organizations were excluded if completely federally funded. During the second phase of data collection, telephone interviews were conducted with 10 organizations that reflected a variety of populations to provide additional context to the publicly available data.
Results: 65% of evaluated organizations had people with LE. 25% of organizations that contained people with LE provided direct services. Landscape assessment concentration of MCH serving organizations in Chittenden County, compared to rural areas, identified potential for MCH serving organizations to expand their distribution.
Conclusion: Organizations including people with lived experiences seem to engage in more advocacy and public policy than those without LE. Both phases of data collection support the current representation in literature. Inclusion of people with LE can better inform the operations and policy development of MCH serving organizations.
Advisor(s)
Leigh-Anne Cioffredi, MD
Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont
Emily Smith, PhD
Vermont Department of Health
Subjects
Access to Health Services, Child and Adolescent Development, Children, Family Planning, Health Care, Health Care Access and Quality, Health Communication, Health Policy, Health-Related Quality of Life & Well-Being, Maternal, Infant, and Child Health, Social and Community Context, Social Determinants of Health, Women
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Recommended Citation
Busch, Michaela; Macias, Jasmine; Makaj, David; Mastras, Kassandra; Mohabbat, Hosna; Naik, Aryan S.; Nicozisin, Zoe S.; and Salib, Nicole W., "A Landscape Assessment of Family-Servicing Organizations in Vermont: Highlighting the Importance of Lived Experience in Advocacy and Policy" (2023). Public Health Projects, 2008-present. 348.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/348
