HIGHLIGHTS
- HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has grown in scale and scope in recent years.
- In response to new appropriations, MCHB is implementing historic institutional change.
- The agency turned to Abt to facilitate improvements in operations and workforce development.
PROJECT
MCHB Strategic Planning Progress and Organizational Transformation
The Challenge
MCHB is in a critical moment of growth and change. The Bureau has received numerous Congressional appropriations and developed new programs in the last several years to meet the health needs of women, children, and families. The result is a rapid increase in staff to manage the new work and a chance to agency. MCHB engaged Abt in an initial contract in 2020 to develop and launch a new Strategic Plan, create a new visual identity, and embark on a self-assessment process in preparation for organizational transformation. Now, Abt is supporting transformative improvements at the Bureau based on that groundwork.
The Approach
Under this contract, Abt coaches MCHB leaders, provides subject matter expertise, and facilitates improvements in programs and processes with topics ranging from pediatrics to emergency services to maternal and child health financing and evaluation. Abt is using a process to assure challenges that come with organizational transformation are named and understood by—and thus manageable for—those experiencing them. Abt is also supporting workforce development and culture/values strategies. Abt measures progress on implementation along the way, assuring MCHB is achieving their stated Strategic Plan goals.
The Results
Working with Abt, MCHB will achieve organizational transformation, including improved operations, programs, and data management. Abt’s experts will help shape new strategies on workforce development. They will also help the Bureau’s leadership think strategically about the future.. Abt will provide coaching to individual Divisions and Offices to ensure Strategic Plan implementation is a success. In the end, the Bureau will operate with more efficiency and effectiveness, which will benefit the 30.5 million people who depend on it for improved health and well-being.