Northeast Florida projects represented at 2015 CityMatCH Conference

12063409_1034307709924488_3043390153109880574_nYoga in the Streets. Teen Leadership Councils. Father support services. A central maternal and child health intake system. A multitude of Coalition programs and initiatives were highlighted at the 2015 CityMatCH Annual Urban MCH Conference in Salt Lake City.

Magnolia Project Freedom Coach Sabrina Willis gave presented during a session on “Innovative Outreach” on the implementation of “Yoga in the Streets,” an outreach activity designed to help participants reduce their toxic stress. Magnolia Project Director Faye Johnson co-authored the abstract. View the presentation: Yoga in the Streets.

12074490_1033541313334461_1276906866607350487_nTeen Health Project Director Erin Addington presented during a session on “Life Course in Practice: Implementation & Applications to Reproductive Life Planning” on the use of guest speakers to educate youth in Teen Leadership Councils on financial literacy, healthy relationships and education and career goals. View the presentation: Teen Pregnancy Prevention: From Condoms & IUDs to Savings Plans and College Applications

Fatherhood Coordinator Jack Johnson presented a poster, “Non-Custodial Fathers Support Services (Negative affect on children and relationships of Rigorous Child Support Enforcement).” The poster highlighted the Coalition’s Responsible Fatherhood project, which provides assistance, guidance, and awareness to non-custodial fathers seeking to build a relationship with his child, as well as advocating for change in child support policies.

Executive Director Jennifer Gornto presented a poster, “Creating a Maternal Child Health Central Intake Using Prenatal Universal Screening Tool.” The poster highlighted the use of the Florida Healthy Start Universal Prenatal Screening tool to begin a collaborative effort with local social service agencies. Developing the central intake system allows agencies to provide risk-appropriate care while reducing duplication.

Dr. Jeffry Will, Director of the Northeast Florida Center for Community Initiatives at the University of North Florida and local evaluator of the Magnolia Project, also had a poster presentation at the conference, “A Tradition in Transition: Magnolia 2.0 Moves To Engage the Broader Community for Addressing Racial Disparities in Health.” Magnolia Project Director Faye Johnson and CCI Assistant Director Irma Hall co-authored the abstract.