NHSA's mission is to be our nation's voice in providing leadership and advocacy for health equity services and interventions that improve birth outcomes and family wellbeing.

2009 was an exciting year for the world and in MCH! We inaugurated the first African-American president of the United States, and the Healthy Start Initiative received an increase in funding by $2.6 million. Sierra Leone experienced a drop in maternal deaths and Madison, Wisconsin has lowered their infant mortality rates. These are invigorating achievements! We need to use this momentum to achieve even more in 2010, because there is much work to be done.

President Obama has made healthcare for everyone a national debate and a priority on his agenda. As members of the MCH community, it’s our responsibility to make sure women and children are part of the conversation. As part of our effort, NHSA is hosting our 11^th Annual Spring Conference, Fulfilling Our Vision: Healthy Babies From The Start, in March here in Washington, DC. The conference will give MCH professionals and Healthy Start Consumers the opportunity not only to attend dynamic sessions, but we will also be hosting a rally and visits to Capitol Hill. Conference attendees will be encouraged to visit with their legislators to let them know how important Maternal and Child Health issues are and to thank them for all the hard work they’ve been doing in the last year. We invite you to visit our website for more information and to register for the conference!

This year and coming decade hold limitless possibilities for the MCH community, and we hope you share in our enthusiasm to continue this very important work!