Perspective: In Health Affairs Forefront, Altarum Offers Maternal and Child Health Example as Case for Coordination to Bridge Gap Between Health Care and Public Health
July 12, 2022
Julia Fantacone
Tara Fowler
Maggie Fairchild
To help bridge the historical disconnect between public health and service delivery programs and based on deep experience in both Title V and Medicaid, Altarum identified four areas of opportunity for enhanced collaboration and integration between the Title V MCH Block Grant and Medicaid that would result in breakthrough levels of improvement. These four themes can be used to expand upon existing cross-program conversations and initiatives to inform state-specific priorities, performance measures, and strategies in both programs.
Altarum has worked in partnership with HRSA for many years and directly with states to support the Title V MCH Block Grant along with multi-stakeholder groups at the state and federal agency levels. This effort has included support to states in implementing the five-year Title V Needs Assessments and analyses of trends in priority needs and performance measure alignment across all 59 states, territories, and jurisdictions. We work closely with state Medicaid agencies on Medicaid policy, implementation, and program design. We also have decades of experience working directly with MCOs. Our experience includes designing and implementing solutions to support women and children and addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries in 30 states.
Altarum is a nonprofit organization that works with federal and state agencies and foundations to design and implement solutions to improve the health of individuals with fewer financial resources and populations disenfranchised by the health care system. We achieve measurable results by combining our expertise in public health and health care delivery with technology, workforce training and continuing education, applied research, and technical assistance. Our innovative solutions lead to better health for beneficiaries and better value for payers.
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Perspective
Julia Fantacone - MPP, PMP
Areas of Expertise
- Social Policy Analysis
- Qualitative Research and Evaluation
- Program Implementation and Technical Assistance
Julia Fantacone is a project manager in Altarum’s Community Health practice area. For over 12 years, she has leveraged her educational background in public administration, social policy, public health, and project management to lead interdisciplinary teams supporting research, technical assistance, and capacity building projects for a broad array of federal and state agencies and community-based organizations. This includes her current role as co-director of the MCH Workforce Performance and Capacity Building project for HRSA MCHB. Julia holds a master’s degree in public policy from American University and a graduate certificate in public health from the George Washington University. She is a project management professional certified by the Project Management Institute.
Tara Fowler - PhD, MPH, CPH
Vice President, Population Health
Areas of Expertise- Applied Research and Analytics
- Maternal and Child Health
- Qualitative Research
Tara Fowler leads Altarum's population health work, including in the areas of community health, applied research and analytics, and delivery systems transformation. She has led a variety of multifaceted quantitative and qualitative research projects that deliver insights to leaders of government health agencies, from the Defense Health Agency to the Health Resources and Services Administration. Her recent work includes an evaluation of a HRSA-funded program implemented in 16 states to improve oral health of low-income pregnant women and infants. Tara holds a PhD in public health from the University of South Florida.
Maggie Fairchild - MPH
Director, State Growth
Areas of Expertise- Partnership Development
- Proposal Management
- Medicaid Managed Care
Maggie Fairchild is an accomplished business strategist and project manager with over 12 years of experience driving large-scale projects in managed care and public health settings. She has experience in business development and growth initiatives including partnership development, market research, and writing, managing, and procuring managed care proposals for state Medicaid, CHIP, and Long-term Services and Support programs. She has also held positions in public health program evaluation, health communications, and marketing. Maggie holds a master’s degree in public health from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree from Truman State University.