Maternal and Child Health: About the Family, Youth, and Community Engagement Initiative
Family, Youth, and Community Engagement is about making Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Maternal and Child Health (MCH) programming stronger. This initiative focuses on responding to participant needs and experiences.
MCH supports ways for sites to engage with families, youth, and community members. This connection is key to advancing health equity.
Our goals
Our goal is to create meaningful partnerships, so we hear MCH member voices. This work includes family, youth, and community members. If we engage with members, our programs will be more responsive to their thoughts and ideas. To make this happen, local sites need engagement support.
By Dec. 31, 2025, we aim to strengthen Family, Youth, and Community Engagement within all MCH programs. We will do this because programs that respond to the participant experience are more effective.
Our team
This group is in charge of making Family, Youth and Community Engagement happen across the state.
Co-leads
Becky Burns
State coordinator for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and Waisman Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
DHS
Charisse Daniels-Johnson
Heath Equity Coordinator
DHS
Other team members
Barbara Katz
Co-Director
Family Voices of Wisconsin
Amy Olejniczek
Associate Director
Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health and directs the Providers and Teens Communicating for Health program
Shawn Meyer
MCH Nurse Consultant
DHS
Kara Mathewson
Sexual Violence Prevention Program Coordinator
DHS
Karen Morris
Reproductive Health Family Planning Nurse Consultant
DHS
Kelli Stader
Nutrition Coordinator
DHS
Want to share your success story or learn more? Contact Rebecca.Burns@dhs.wisconsin.gov