Coordination of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program: so the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Abstract

The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program's mission is to enhance the health of children for generations to come. In this manuscript, we describe the structure of the ECHO Coordinating Center (ECHO-CC) and its role in developing the infrastructure for the ECHO program. The ECHO-CC supports ECHO's mission by developing the framework of the ECHO program, coordinating multiple levels of membership in the ECHO community, developing ECHO policies and procedures, and fostering communication and engagement inside and outside of ECHO. The ECHO-CC has used a number of innovative methods for organization, communication, and engagement to enable the ECHO program to become greater than the sum of its parts.