Immunization, family planning (FP), and maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) are all important aspects of primary care for women and children. There are many missed opportunities for integration which could further improve these services. To address this issue, on June 14, 2017, the MIYCN-FP Integration Working Group hosted a joint meeting with the FP-Immunization Integration Working Group to discuss ways to increase synergy and use existing platforms to integrate and strengthen global service provision. SPRING co-chairs the MIYCN-FP Integration Working Group with the Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP)/Jhpiego and Pathfinder.
The meeting objectives included sharing experiences and findings, identifying success factors and lessons learned, and exploring opportunities for FP, immunization, and nutrition service integration across the continuum of care. The 46 in-person attendees and 13 remote participants from 24 organizations brought diverse experiences and perspectives from their sectors and organizations.
The day-long meeting included eight technical presentations that covered a wide range of topics, from the integration of vitamin A, immunization, FP, and nutrition services in Sierra Leone, to an exploration of how home-based records can be used to track family planning, nutrition, and immunization information in one place. Participants were highly engaged throughout the meeting, discussing different ways that their respective programs and organizations could better integrate to provide more efficient care. Breakout discussions offered participants the chance to further discuss challenges and opportunities for integration in a small-group setting.
A full report and online recording from the meeting, including copies of the presentations, can be accessed by joining either of the two working groups: MIYCN-FP Working Group and the FP-Immunization Working Group.
Photo: SPRING SBCC Team Lead Peggy Koniz-Booher facilitates a discussion on referral systems/pathways during a breakout session.