Building the Maternal and Child Health Emergency Preparedness Workforce at the State Level: Successes and Challenges in Tennessee

Tennessee experienced nine federally declared disasters since 2019, including flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, severe storms, a bombing, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These emergencies can impact access to services and health outcomes among MCH populations. In this workshop, we will discuss how Tennessee’s Department of Health built workforce capacity and infrastructure to address MCH emergency preparedness and response (EPR). We will focus on 1) putting into place a statewide MCH EPR Program Director, 2) conducting an initial state assessment through implementation of the AMCHP Public Health EPR Checklist for Maternal and Infant Health, and 3) developing partnerships and building coalitions to address and promote MCH needs in emergencies.