The latest newsletter from the SAMHSA Center for Excellence in FASD includes summaries of recently published research into these disorders.  You can read these and other important news regarding the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol at 01 – 2010 Center Monthly Update

The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is pleased to announce that Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be speaking at AMCHP 2010! Be sure to join us and hear the latest from Secretary Sebelius on national policies and programs related to maternal and child health, health reform, and other HHS priorities.

A workshop will feature the March of Dimes Review of Social Media.  Are You Part of the Conversation? will demonstrate the value of listening to and engaging our constituents as they prepare for pregnancy, complain about pregnancy woes, or face complications and sometimes tragedy, as well as revel in the joy of their newborns.

 The conference is scheduled for March 6-10, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, National Harbor, MD.
Learn more about this conference and register on-line.

The American Academy of Pediatricians has launched an exciting, new website for those who are thinking-about-becoming a parent, expectant parents, those who have children and anyone who is interested in children!  Healthy Children is an interactive site that is chockful of information about preconception, prenatal, and child health.  The site also includes recommendations from the AAP regarding specific issues, such as not drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

If you don’t know, the results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health are now available.  This survey provides invaluable information on when Americans first begin to drink, use drugs and smoke cigarettes and how much of these substances is consumed. 
National Findings

The National Center on Health Statistics has released a National Vital Statistics Report that analyzes pregnancy estimate data from 1990 through 2005.  You can read the full report here:  2009 NCHS Pregnancy Estimates

Just how much does poor health in women contribute to the overall economic health care burden?  What can we do about it?

A new report by the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services explores these issues.

Meeting the Needs of Pregnant and Parenting Teens: Local Health Department Programs and Services

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has issued a new report on its Adolescent Health and Maternal and Child Health Projects.  The report highlights local health department efforts to address the special needs of pregnant and parenting teens. The four LHDs highlighted in this report are among a number of LHDs that are implementing promising approaches to providing services for pregnant and parenting teens and working to prevent the negative consequences often associated with teenage childbearing and parenting.