Kaiser Tackles Global Maternal, Newborn, Child Health Issues In New Report

The Kaiser Family Foundation released a new report on the U.S. role in improving global maternal, newborn, and child health that provides an overview of international efforts and offers a detailed look at the U.S. government’s response to date and the heightened focus placed on these issues by the Obama Administration’s Global Health Initiative (GHI). The report reviews U.S. funding trends for maternal and child health, U.S. agencies’ related activities, the contribution of key U.S. global health efforts, and U.S. participation in international multilateral efforts.

It also identifies key policy issues surrounding the future of the U.S. involvement, including how the U.S. will integrate maternal, newborn, and child health efforts with existing disease-specific programs and with family planning and reproductive health; how the efforts fit into broader development efforts including education; and the role of the U.S. in the international arena, especially in light of the upcoming G-8 Summit, which is expected to highlight maternal and child health.

Two related fact sheets examine the U.S. role in maternal, newborn, and child health and in family planning and reproductive health. The materials were featured at a Kaiser forum this morning that examined the evolving U.S. role in improving global maternal, newborn, and child health as well as global progress toward reducing child and maternal mortality by 2015. The forum involved Jennifer Klein, senior advisor on global women’s issues at the U.S. Department of State; Flavia Bustreo, director, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, World Health Organization; Ana Langer, president, EngenderHealth; Christopher J.L. Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington; and Jen Kates, vice president and director of Global Health Policy and HIV, Kaiser Family Foundation. Foundation Executive Vice President Diane Rowland moderated the discussion.

An archived webcast and audio podcast of the forum are now available online. The webcast and new materials are among the resources available on the Foundation’s Global Health Gateway, which includes original policy analysis and polling on the U.S. role in global health; country-specific data through the Global Health Facts database; regularly updated resources tracking major policy and budget developments; news summaries from the Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report; a reporter’s guide to covering global health; and live and archived webcasts on current global health topics.

The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit private operating foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, dedicated to producing and communicating the best possible information and analysis on health issues.