Promoting community-based maternal and child health services: a university-health department partnership.

Abstract

Funded by the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, a partnership between the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Department of Maternal and Child Health (JHU), and the Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) identifies maternal and child health problems, and develops appropriate interventions. This paper presents the organization and activities of the JHU/BCHD Maternal and Child Community Health Science Consortium as a result of overcoming traditional barriers to collaborative efforts, and discusses what role the Consortium has had in its own collaborative success. A review of the literature uncovered a number of barriers to productive interaction. A number of factors contributing to overcoming the barriers was also revealed. The organization and activities of the work of the JHU/BCHD Maternal and Child Community Health Science Consortium has been applied to these barriers and associated factors, and discussed in context of implications for future collaborative efforts. The Consortium has developed a fully integrated administrative structure bridging both the BCHD and JHU. The mission of the Consortium has been translated into four categories of work, each one designed to complement, extend, and augment the other. The infrastructure established in Baltimore, as a direct result of this partnership, has served to overcome traditional barriers to productive academic/agency collaboration, while promoting organizational productivity. This outcome is a result of overcoming the recognized barriers to collaboration. Health agencies and university public health programs must link resources and collaborate to address public health issues. Commitment to a collaborative approach to the public's health will determine its future.