Ray Firth

Recommendations for improving the maternal and child health care system in the Pittsburgh region. An overview of a family-centered, community-based approach to improving the maternal and child health care system in the Pittsburgh region. Based on a review of best practices in maternal and child health care and an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, and barriers to improvement in the current system, targets for local policy reform are identified and a vision, strategy, and action plan for achieving systemwide improvements in maternal and child health care processes and outcomes are outlined.

The Allegheny County (Pa.) Maternal Depression Initiative is a local system-change effort focused on increasing identification, referrals, and engagement in treatment as needed and appropriate for women at high risk for maternal depression. This monograph describes how and why the initiative was created, the processes through which it was implemented and evaluated, and the results and lessons learned.

Lead poisoning remains a serious, preventable environmental health threat to young children, and its elimination is a key goal of U. S. public health policy. This report focuses on screening, reporting, and surveillance of childhood blood lead levels in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, through a review of relevant literature, state and county reporting and surveillance databases, and interviews and focus groups.