We Convene

How We Work

We work across disciplines and sectors to engage individuals and organizations who have both explicit and implicit interests in public health. This approach requires us to free ourselves to look for new ways to solve old problems. We constantly evaluate what and who we have to work with, determine unmet needs, and then develop and deliver collaborative programming, shared learning opportunities, and expert-led training and technical assistance.

We also offer sound administrative and fiscal management, provide workforce development through training and technical assistance, and conduct research and evaluation. For nearly a decade, our team at MSPHI has:

Provided evidence-based, relevant, and effective training and professional development opportunities to Mississippi’s behavioral health professionals

Delivered training to promote workforce development, reduce substance use stigma, and foster effective use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT)

Enhanced the co-occurring treatment capacity of the behavioral health network.

Get to Know MSPHI

We Innovate

We embrace and employ new ways to do public health, moving beyond county-based clinics or medical measures to put population health practices firmly into communities. We help local-area organizations identify their needs and determine modern answers to satisfying solutions. Our multi-disciplinary team of technical experts, management consultants, and communication and outreach strategists tackle long-standing problems related to public and mental health. We look not only at known public health risk factors but also into social determinants of emerging, infectious, and chronic diseases. We seek, find, and deliver fresh approaches.

Beyond broad health policy consultation, we have contributed to:

  • Victims of Crime Assistance program – by conducting process evaluation and guiding the grant review process
  • Tobacco Control – through five-year strategic planning, technical assistance on policy and sustainability, and marketing and training for tobacco cessation.
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – by assessing whether equipment and procedures can adequately provide WIC services, especially in Head Start centers.
  • Maternal and Infant Health – by focusing on the “Safe Sleep Project” so parents can learn about sleep-related infant deaths risks, ways to keep babies safe, and ensure that every baby has a safe place to sleep.
  • Communicable Disease – by coordinating efforts to get physicians, hospitals, laboratories, and other partners to work better with epidemiologists; also by delivering education and training for health care professionals on infection control practices; and determining the need for and then doing continuing education for Ryan White program staff, especially in team building and customer service.
MSPHI

We are dedicated to developing partnerships that are committed to program innovation, the increase of health resources, education, health awareness.

Partner With Us

Program Overview:
The Healthy Families Mothers and Babies initiative is a five-year grant funded project through REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that focuses on reducing health disparities and rates of chronic illness in African American women of childbearing ages in Jackson, Harrison, and Hancock Counties. We have 3 focus areas that include nutrition, tobacco free living, and community clinical linkages. Our community-centered communications campaign entitled, SHEA (Sharing Health, Education and Awareness) is focused on reducing health disparities and rates of chronic disease among Black women, babies, and families in Jackson, Hancock, and Harrison Counties.

Contact:
Shakeizia Jones
kjones@msphi.org
769-567-1221
sheahealth.org

 

 

 

The Mississippi Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MSPQC) is a statewide partnership with the primary objective of enhancing birth outcomes in Mississippi through evidence-based quality improvement initiatives at both the hospital and community levels. MSPQC adopts a data-driven, collaborative approach, focusing on specific factors influencing maternal and neonatal health. Participating members are actively involved in selecting projects aimed at developing, disseminating, and successfully implementing best practices across all clinical and community settings that cater to the needs of mothers and infants. Serving as a strategic leader, accessible resource, and unifying organization, MSPQC strives to guide statewide quality improvement efforts, drawing inspiration from successful Perinatal Quality Collaboratives (PQCs) with established and proven practices.

Contact Information
Monica Stinson, MS, CHES
mstinson@msphi.org

 

Mississippi breastfeeding rates are almost the lowest in the country. As part of our mission to improve the health of Mississippians throughout the state, the Mississippi Breastfeeding Coalition wants to support mothers, promoting breastfeeding practices in business and early childhood education centers and clinical-community linkages that serve as a means of referral for needed services. Some of the outcomes expected are to develop a sustainable system for continuing education for lactation professionals in Mississippi, to establish a sustainable system for the provision of breastfeeding support for low-income families, and to establish a community of practice to support the sustainability of breastfeeding support groups to improve breastfeeding rates in Mississippi by offering access to equitable lactation support statewide.

Contact: Eliana Glass
Eglass@msphi.org
www.msbfc.org

 

Mississippi breastfeeding rates are almost the lowest in the country. As part of our mission to improve the health of Mississippians throughout the state, the Mississippi Breastfeeding Coalition wants to support mothers, promoting breastfeeding practices in business and early childhood education centers and clinical-community linkages that serve as a means of referral for needed services. Some of the outcomes expected are to develop a sustainable system for continuing education for lactation professionals in Mississippi, to establish a sustainable system for the provision of breastfeeding support for low-income families, and to establish a community of practice to support the sustainability of breastfeeding support groups to improve breastfeeding rates in Mississippi by offering access to equitable lactation support statewide.

Contact: Eliana Glass
Eglass@msphi.org
www.msbfc.org

 

 

Jackson Safer Childbirth Experience (JSCE)  focuses upon providing the services of community-based doulas to African American women of childbearing age, specifically those between the ages of 18 and 44. Our doula team is composed of African American women who come from an array of backgrounds consisting of a mixture of medical and non-medical backgrounds. We strive to provide individualized care that is intimate and specific to not only medical conditions, but also specific to all aspects of parenthood. Thus, we provide a more in-depth approach to care that starts where they are and continuously guides them to positive physical and mental outcomes. We accomplish this by assessing mothers’ needs during enrollment and connecting them to services through built partnerships in order to make their transition into parenthood more successful.

Contact
Tara Shaw
Program Specialist
601-566-1046

 

Program Overview
In collaboration with United Healthcare, MSPHI provides remote blood pressure monitoring and health education to prenatal and postpartum women through the Babyscripts web application.  Maternal clinics throughout the state have been recruited for participation and providers at these clinics provide patient referrals to the program.  Through the Babyscripts app, mothers are able to monitor blood pressure and providers are alerted in the case of hypertensive readings.  Messages and reminders are regularly sent to mothers regarding care and the need for immediate medical attention if warranted. Through this project healthcare providers are able to monitor hypertension more efficiently, particularly among high-risk maternal patients.  Participants are also able to gain knowledge about conditions that influence pregnancy outcomes which promotes better self care.

Contact
Jacinda Roach
jroach@msphi.org

 

 

Program Overview
 Through this project, MSPHI has partnered with Amerigroup to provide continuing education to healthcare professionals on health literacy.  Topics include:  Building Health Literacy into Your Community Programs, Building Health Literate Interprofessional Teams, Health Literate LGBTQ+ Care, and Designing Accessible Educational Materials.  Education is provided through an asynchronous learning platform that providers can complete at their own pace and earn up to 11 hours of CME credit. This project allows providers to better understand barriers related to health literacy that influence patient engagement.  It is estimated that only 12 % of Americans have proficient health literacy skills.  Thus, many are unable to navigate through the current health system or effectively engage in discussions about medical care.

Contact
Jacinda Roach
jroach@msphi.org
https://srahec.org/heatlh-literacy

 

 

Program Overview
MSPHI in partnership with the Office of Tobacco Control provides training, technical assistance and merchant education training and materials for the Mississippi Tobacco-Free Coalitions (MTFCs). The MTFCs are community-based coalitions that work to educate municipalities and schools regarding smoke-free air, prevent the initiation of tobacco use among youth, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, promote cessation services, and eliminate tobacco-related disparities.

Website: msdh.ms.gov
Contact:
Glenda Crump
Jacinda Roach
jroach@msphi.org
https://srahec.org/heatlh-literacy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Overview: 
CEAL is designed to provide trustworthy, science-based information through active community engagement and outreach to the people hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of building long-lasting partnerships as well as improving diversity and inclusion in our research response to COVID-19. MSPHI is a partner of the MSDH , Office of Preventive Health to provide support in implementing vaccine equity public health research and outreach efforts(helping promote vaccine confidence research and promotion efforts. 

Contact: 
Glenda Crump, MS
Website: 
covid19community.nih.gov/community-engagement-teams/mississippi-ceal

 

 

MSPHI, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, (DMH) coordinates the HIV, Tuberculous, & Sexually Transmitted Infections-Early Intervention Services Collaborative Program (HIV EIP) which includes HIV counseling and testing for individuals receiving services at facilities certified by DMH including Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) and Free-standing programs. MSPHI will also work with faith-based churches to offer testing within their communities. Why is the project necessary? Mississippi ranks among the highest in the nation in rate of new HIV infections and had the eighth-highest AIDS death rate of any state in the United States in 2016. In 2021, there were 9,873 people living with HIV in Mississippi. In 2021, 419 people were newly diagnosed with HIV.

Contact
https://www.dmh.ms.gov
LaQuita Hather, MS

Program Overview: 

The Jackson Heart Study (JHS),  is a major, long-term study of hearth health in African American adults living in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan areas.  The JHS Community Engagement Center (CEC), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH)  supports the Jackson Heart Study’s efforts to promote heart health within targeted communities around the greater Jackson metropolitan area. The Community Engagement Center (CEC) actively draws upon Jackson Heart Study (JHS) research findings and builds awareness of health risks and healthy choices to improve lives. MSPHI works  collaboratively with the Office of Preventive Health , MSDH, which coordinates CEC to develop and disseminate print, radio, television campaign messaging and materials including website and social media platforms to promote cardiovascular disease prevention in the Jackson area and beyond. MSPHI assists with videography and the development of informational articles, newsletters, flyers, pamphlets, infographics, etc. utilizing JHS or MSDH driven data to promote risk factor reduction for cardiovascular disease and related conditions in African Americans. 

Contact:
Glenda Crump ,MS, CPM
Website: 
https://www.jacksonheartstudy.org/Community

 

Program Overview: 

The Mississippi Choctaw Youth Resilience Initiative (CYRI-MS) is a partnership between MSPHI and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI.).  CYRI-MS augments  and extends previous suicide prevention efforts implemented by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI). The MBCI is a self-governing vibrant Native American tribe of 11,000 but has historically faced the compounded disadvantages of cultural marginalization. MSPHI coordinates a combination of evidence based programs and practices (EBPs)  with cultural adaptations undertaken as directed by tribal leaders.

Contact:
Jan Entrekin
jentrekin@msphi.org
Website: https://sprc.org/choctaws

 


Program Overview:
The Region IV Public Health Training Center (PHTC), located at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, helps public health professionals build the core skills and strategic competencies necessary to address current and future public health challenges. Competency-based training  is guided by state-identified needs and focuses on primary strategic skills and priority health concerns in the region. MSPHI serves as one of seven Community-Based Training Partner ( CBTs) assisting in  assessing  Mississippi’s  training needs, identifying  training priorities, developing  and implementing a region-wide training plan, and evaluate the impact of collaborative efforts.

 

Contact: 
Angie Gainey, MBA
Website:r4phtc.org 


Program Overview: 

The Jackson Heart Study (JHS),  is a major, long-term study of hearth health in African American adults living in the Jackson, Mississippi metropolitan areas.  The JHS Community Engagement Center (CEC), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH)  supports the Jackson Heart Study’s efforts to promote heart health within targeted communities around the greater Jackson metropolitan area. The Community Engagement Center (CEC) actively draws upon Jackson Heart Study (JHS) research findings and builds awareness of health risks and healthy choices to improve lives. MSPHI works  collaboratively with the Office of Preventive Health , MSDH, which coordinates CEC to develop and disseminate print, radio, television campaign messaging and materials including website and social media platforms to promote cardiovascular disease prevention in the Jackson area and beyond. MSPHI assists with videography and the development of informational articles, newsletters, flyers, pamphlets, infographics, etc. utilizing JHS or MSDH driven data to promote risk factor reduction for cardiovascular disease and related conditions in African Americans. 

Contact:
Glenda Crump ,MS, CPM
Website: 
https://www.jacksonheartstudy.org/Community

 


Program Overview: 

The OAIV TVM project is designed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 with an intentional focus on increasing access to COVID-19 testing, vaccines, and mobile health units to mitigate the spread of this virus, and increase supports for domestic violence survivors. The MSPHI team serves as the technical assistance provider, linking domestic violence programs with primary and preventive health services.  

Contact info
Hannah Sheridan, RN, BSN
Program Manager
hsheridan@msphi.org

Program Overview

Project Firstline Mississippi, developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is an innovative outreach program designed to promote foundational knowledge on infection prevention and control for all types of frontline healthcare workers.  Outreach activities include weekly social media interaction posts and a variety of images and posters with best practice messaging. Educational and training opportunities include free, comprehensive online course curriculum to expand knowledge on infection prevention and control guidelines, COVID-19 precautions, and best practices; user-friendly videos from CDC, APIC, WHO, and more.

 

Contact:
Jan Entrekin
Program Manager  jentrekin@msphi.org
Website URL:  www.projectfirstlinems.org
Social Media:
Facebook-Project Firstline Mississippi


Program Overview: 
SW SOAR Partners focus on creating a sustainable, integrated, multi-disciplinary mental and physical health care system that reduces morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder and opioid use disorder. 

 

Contact info
Logan Nalker, BIS,
Program Manager, lnalker@msphi.org

Program Overview:
The MSPHI is a PHIG Regional Innovation Hub and foundational to NNPHI ’s approach to providing tailored and proactive technical assistance (TA) and training to PHIG recipients. Our mission is to support 17 funded PHIG health department recipients with effective workplan strategy implementation and optimized outcomes. The Hub offers sustainable and supportive relationships and collaboration across the public health system to fully harness the potential of the workforce, data, and infrastructure capacity.

Contact:
Dr. AnnaLyn Whitt, Director
awhitt@msphi.org

or Phig@msphi.org
Madison Nevels
Program Manager

Program Overview: 
Mississippi’s Overdose Data Action (OD2A) program supports collecting high-quality, comprehensive, and timely data on nonfatal and fatal overdoses to inform prevention and response efforts. OD2A focuses on understanding and tracking the complex and changing nature of the drug overdose epidemic and highlights the need for seamless integration of data into prevention strategies. OD2A is led by the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) and supported by a federal grant initiative funded by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


Contact: 
Jan Dawson
jdawson@msphi.org
Website: ODFree.org