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The Maternal Child Health Commission (MCHC) promotes a community that nurtures all families to have healthy pregnancies and healthy children.

Our objectives:

• Inform and educate families and the general public about meternal and child health issues.
• Asses and monitor maternal and child statistics to identify public health issues in the community.
• Provide linkages between health and other community services.

Our goals:

• Advocate for access to comprehensive, high quality and culturally appropriate primary care to ensure a continuum of care for all women and children.
• Evaluate the effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal health and population-based maternal and child health services.
• Provide leadership for priority-setting, planning and policy development to support community efforts to assure the health of women, children and their families.

Activities:

• Fetal Infant Mortality Review Committee (FIMR)
• Annual Parenting Conference
• Annual Community Baby Shower (CBS)
• Maternal Child Health Resource Guide

To learn more, or to become a member of the commission, contact:

         Division of Nursing: Nursing Supervisor, (413) 787-6738

          www.unnaturalcauses.org

          www.healthequity.org

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Surveillance, Reporting and Control

Infectious diseases cause illness, suffering and even death, and place an enormous personal and financial burden on society. In order to prevent, control and treat diseases that may quickly spread to large populations, State public health officials rely on local boards of health, healthcare providers, laboratories and other public health personnel to report the occurrence of Reportable Diseases as required by law.

The Community Nursing Division of Springfield’s Health and Human Services Department is responsible for collecting data about reportable diseases from laboratories, healthcare providers and other health departments.

When a suspected reportable infection is identified, a community nurse will investigate the case, discuss the diagnosis and treatment options with the patient, explore measures to prevent further spread of the disease, and serve as a liaison between the patient and local and State health departments.

Tuberculosis disease clinic is held weekly in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Baystate Health.  Our nurses provide Direct Observed Therapy (DOT) for residents diagnosed with tuberculosis and prophylactic treatment for latent cases.  Tuberculosis testing, home visits, telephone calls and follow-up can all be part of the intervention for controlling tuberculosis in our community. 

For more information contact:

          To reach one of our Community Health Nurses please call (413) 787-6744

          www.mass.gov/handwashing

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During the fall and winter flu clinics services are provided by many, many residents.  At which time information about contracting flu is provided.

For more information contact:

Smith Clinic @(413) 787-6744

          http://www.getreadyforflu.org

          www.mass.gov/handwashing

^{*Adapted from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)}