Approach

We are built to drive change

Transformative change is part art, part science. And, we think we’ve cracked the code. We’ve honed our skills in change management working with multidisciplinary teams of health experts, community partners, practitioners and families to define complex problems and design rigorous data-driven strategies that deliver impact now, and for the future. Creating opportunities for continuous learning is critical to success. Staying nimble to respond to evolving needs is a prerequisite. Our consultative approach means forging deeper relationships and building trust at every level. We know when we work in close partnership to articulate goals and develop the right resources to drive change that achieving better health outcomes for all children is possible.

How we do it

We admit it. Change is hard, scary and rarely follows a straight line. We’ve refined our change management approach over the last two decades and have found it to be the best way to prepare and support individuals, teams and organizations in making systems-level change. The key to our approach is recognizing that change has a people side and a technical side, knowing where to start and then how to bridge the two sides.

NICHQ's Change Management Approach

Bring a Change Management Mindset to Your Work

Are you launching a new initiative or feeling stalled in a current one? Contact NICHQ to discuss:

How to drive dramatic change in your community or state
Strategies to get buy-in from partners to move your work forward
Ways to track performance to boost improvement efforts

We customize our services to your needs and goals.

Request a consultation

Case Studies

Accelerating Action and Gaining Traction: ECCS Case Studies 

In communities and states across the country, there is a growing movement to develop coordinated, effective, and high-quality systems to support all parents and give all young children an optimal start. ECCS CoIIN is one of these systems-building initiatives.

As part of the work, ECCS CoIIN produced the following case studies: Applying a System Maturity Framework to Understand Progress and Success; Engage and Empower Families at all Levels of Leadership; Enhancing and Developing Community Platforms to Promote the Developmental Health of Young Children; Improving Systems Performance Measurement; Policies to Solidify, Institutionalize, and Formalize Advancements for Sustainability; States and Communities Working Together: Partnerships for Impact

Efforts to Address Preterm Birth Rates

NICHQ worked with Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and Oklahoma to identify policies, structures, and other contextual factors that may have impacted preterm birth rates in each state. Each of the four selected states participated in the 2013-2017 phase of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (IM CoIIN) and elected to address preterm births as one of their priority areas.

New York State Engages Partners to Improve Breastfeeding Outcomes

The Bureau of Community Chronic Disease Prevention at the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) worked with NICHQ to develop and lead hospitals in a quality improvement initiative to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates.

Better Breastfeeding for Healthier Moms and Babies

NICHQ partnered with the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to support 74 hospital-based teams in using quality improvement methodology to increase overall and exclusive breastfeeding rates.

Fostering Better Outcomes for Treating Sickle Cell Disease

NICHQ’s efforts as the National Coordinating Center (NCC) marked the first time in U.S. history that improvements in SCD care were tackled on a large, regional and national scale.

Reducing Infant Mortality Rates Across the Country

Between 2013 and 2017, the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB) engaged NICHQ in what became a nationwide effort to reduce infant mortality rates in the U.S. Had these rates remained unchanged, over 23,000 babies would continue to die annually.

What People Say

From the very first meeting, they embraced what we're trying to do in Texas and never missed a beat... It's a pretty well-oiled machine and it's been exciting to work with them.

Veronica Hendrix-Project Funder

NICHQ's team brought enthusiasm, structure and information about how to effectively implement change management to the project which has been key to the success of the collaborative. I continue to look forward to guidance and support from NICHQ for similar projects in the future.

Pamela Berens, MD-Project Faculty

Working with NICHQ, I have been able to assist communities all over New York State with their breastfeeding care efforts. The NICHQ staff is experienced, organized and thorough, ensuring each interpersonal interaction is maximally engaging and productive. Because of the way change efforts are organized, I find myself learning new procedural and educational techniques, and even more about my own field! Thanks to NICHQ for including me on this interesting ride.

Casey Rosen-Carole, MD, MPH, MSEd, IBCLC-Project Faculty

It was an easy decision to engage NICHQ in our strategic planning process to take our breastfeeding goals from strategy to action to results. We have been inspired by their work. We are very excited about the energy and direction they are providing.

Jerome Adams, MD, MPH-Project Funder

NICHQ fosters a collaborative process, not a dictatorial process. You allow us to build success in our community and not try to push any one strategy or model on us. You guide, collaborate and share, but you don’t steer.

Ed Dzedzy-Project Participant