Tools and Resources

For Pregnant, Postpartum, and Breastfeeding Women

These tools and resources can assist when preparing for and responding to the needs of women of reproductive age, caregivers and infants before, during, and after public health emergencies. Many of these were developed collaboratively with local, state, and federal partners.

Toolkits for Emergency Planning and Response
Department of Health of Health and Human Services (HHS) Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Emergency Planning Toolkit

This toolkit outlines basic planning steps, highlights key resources and promising practices, and explains critical data and information to be integrated into emergency planning for MCH populations. It was developed with federal MCH experts and partners.

Reproductive Health and Disasters (RHAD) Assessment Toolkit 2.0

A suite of tools [PDF – 4 MB] to assist agencies or communities assess the reproductive health needs of women ages 15-44, pregnant and postpartum people, and infants less than 1 year old affected by disasters.

Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) Toolkit

A suite of tools for states, communities, programs and emergency preparedness and response personnel on how to best support families and provide optimal nutrition to infants and young children during emergencies.

Increasing Access to Contraception: A Toolkit for Program Development, Implementation, and Evaluation

This toolkit provides “how to” information for organizations that are interested in learning about, replicating, or adapting key components of The Zika Contraception Access Network (Z-CAN) program. The Z-CAN was developed by the CDC Foundation, in partnership with CDC, and established a network of trained physicians across Puerto Rico that provided client-centered contraceptive counseling and same-day access to the full range of FDA-approved reversible contraceptive methods at no cost during the 2016–2017 Zika virus outbreak.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Tools
Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Checklist for Maternal and Infant Health

The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) in collaboration with DRH, developed a preparedness checklist to serve as a framework for local, state, tribal and territorial emergency planning. The checklist is intended to increase the capacity of all U.S. jurisdictions to ensure that the needs of women of reproductive age, especially pregnant and postpartum people, and infants are planned for in the event of emergencies.

MCH Epidemiology and Emergency Preparedness and Response Capacity Assessment

The Council State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) in collaboration with DRH, developed a capacity assessment [PDF – 1.2 MB] to understand the current state of MCH emergency preparedness and response within state and territorial public health departments. This project was an opportunity to expand on existing assessments and develop new content, with a focus on overall capacity for MCH preparedness and response at an organizational and individual level.

Pregnancy Estimator

This tool estimates the number of people who are pregnant in a jurisdiction in the United States at any given point in time. It includes a simulated example [PDF – 195 KB], a point-in-time calculator form [PDF – 73 KB], and a geographic calculator [XLS – 17 KB] to generate estimates using Excel software. The tool can be used for preparedness and response efforts.

Health Indicators for Disaster-Affected Pregnant Women, Postpartum Women, and Infants

This list [PDF – 1 MB] includes common epidemiologic indicators for pregnant and postpartum people and infants who are affected by disasters and offers suggested measurement approaches. This publication describes the process for developing the post-disaster indicators.

Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Standard and Supplemental Questions

The responses to these questions help investigators to understand the effects of emerging infections and major natural disasters on maternal and infant health. This pretested question [PDF – 719 KB] (see Question KK4, page 72) helps to assess the level of preparedness for a disaster among postpartum people.

Coordinated Anthrax Emergency Guidelines

Clinical information for health care providers and public health professionals caring for people who are pregnant, postpartum, and lactating in the setting of a bioterrorist event involving anthrax. In addition, this report describes the recommendations pertaining to communication about anthrax exposure and treatment for lay and professional audiences and training for health professionals.

Communication Resources
Disaster Safety for Expectant and New Parents Feature

These tips and safety messages help to keep expectant and new parents safe before, during, and after a disaster.

Sample Scripts for Counseling Families on Disaster Preparedness and Infant Safe Sleep

This document [PDF – 173 KB] outlines steps parents and caregivers can take before and during a disaster to provide a safe sleep environment for their baby.