Mapping Members’ Experience of Early Childhood Systems

Aligning systems with cross-agency partners can better support Medicaid members by closing gaps and improving services. Journey mapping is one tool that can promote cross-agency collaboration and systems alignment. This new episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast explores how a cross-agency team in Alaska embarked on a journey mapping process to better understand the experiences of pregnant people impacted by substance use disorder to improve maternal health and reduce infant out-of-home placement.

In a related blog post, Daniela Lewy, managing partner at Social Determinants of Health Consulting and a CHCS partner providing technical assistance to the cross-agency Alaska team, discusses journey mapping — what it is, how it works, and how it can help improve systems.

This episode of Medicaid Leadership Exchange is hosted by Gretchen Hammer, MPH, principal, Public Leadership Group and consultant, National Association of Medicaid Directors. She is joined by Emily Urlacher, Public Health Specialist focusing on Early Childhood Systems, Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Health; Julius Goslin, Staff Physician and Medicaid Medical Director, Alaska Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services; Shontey Hambrick, Social Services Program Officer, Alaska Department of Family and Community Services, Office of Children’s Services; and Mark Larson, Senior Vice President, Leadership and Capacity Building, CHCS.

State leaders across health, human services, and other agencies — including Medicaid, early childhood, public health, child welfare, among others — are uniquely positioned to develop programs and services that support the health and well-being of people in their state. Despite the shared goal of helping individuals and communities to thrive, however, agencies often operate in siloes or in misaligned ways that create challenges for the people they serve.

The Aligning State Systems for Improved Health and Well-Being Outcomes framework can serve as a practical guide for state leaders looking to better align state systems and improve health and well-being outcomes.