Current
Initiatives

Leading change across the countrythumbnail image of Current Initiatives flyer

Working passionately alongside our partners for continuous improvement, we determine the best strategies, methods and tools to achieve measurable goals. Our work with multidisciplinary teamsfrom health professionals to community stakeholders and patients and familiesenables deep engagement that leads to transformative change in children’s health systems. Check out some of our featured projects below.


View our complete list of current projects >

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Download a PDF summary of our current initiatives >

Equity Systems Continuum

NICHQ has developed an evidence-informed conceptual framework known as the Equity Systems Continuum to describe and define the systems that individuals and organizations currently operate within. At the end of this initiative, organizations will be able to identify where they are on the continuum by utilizing an Equity Systems Auditing Tool (ESAT). Learn more >

Increasing Awareness about Newborn Screening

NICHQ is working to develop and maintain educational information on newborn screening for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Newborn Screening Clearinghouse website to increase awareness about the critical importance of newborn screening. Learn more >

Promoting Safe Sleep Best Practices

NICHQ collaborates with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on engaging a national collaborative to identify and promote community and state SUID prevention best practices. Learn more >

National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives

NICHQ works to enhance the coordination and communication of perinatal quality collaboratives across the nation, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes for mothers and newborns. Learn more >

Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes

An initiative studying the long-term effects of environmental exposures on children who are treated in neonatal intensive care units. Learn more >

New York State Maternal and Child Health Collaboratives

NICHQ leads efforts to improve the care in New York’s perinatal care centers and create promising interventions to address challenges in current systems of care. Learn more >

Supporting Healthy Start Performance Project

NICHQ and the National Healthy Start Association are providing a comprehensive capacity-building assistance training program for 101 Healthy Start programs nationwide. The training program includes technical assistance on high-priority topics, such as safe sleep, fatherhood, and breastfeeding, and training for program staff on core competencies. Learn more >

Improving Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs

NICHQ is leading a learning and action network (LAN) for seven SNAQ teams to support a high-quality system of care in Florida that serves all children and youth with special healthcare needs, regardless of insurance status and location. Learn more >

Improving Sickle Cell Disease Care - Hemoglobinopathies Coordinating Center

NICHQ, with partner organization Abt Associates, is supporting a Hemoglobinopathies National Coordinating Center (NCC) to help SCD treatment demonstration program grantees — including community and federally qualified health centers — address structural and systemic barriers in their regions and implement evidence-based SCD care. Learn more >

Addressing Infant Health Equity

NICHQ and UHC will implement a Proof-of-Concept project to demonstrate how a partnership between NICHQ, UHC, and Healthy Start can work with communities to address upstream issues that contribute to inequities in maternal and child health. Learn more >