Evaluation of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Perinatal Tobacco Cessation Programs

TIER was contracted by the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program (MTCP) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to conduct an evaluation to understand how MDPH can better tailor its tobacco and nicotine cessation efforts to meet the unique needs of pregnant and parenting people in Massachusetts, with the goal of promoting quit success. The goals of the mixed methods evaluation were to understand: (1) the prevalence of tobacco use among pregnant and parenting clients of substance use treatment and family support programs in Massachusetts; (2) substance use treatment and family support provider preparedness to support tobacco cessation efforts, and how preparedness differs between the two provider types, (3) substance use treatment and family support provider practices related to working with clients who use tobacco, and how these practices differ between the two provider types, and (4) factors related to tobacco reduction or cessation among substance use treatment and family support program clients.

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) and Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant Needs Assessments

TIER was contracted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to conduct the needs assessment for the Massachusetts Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MA MIECHV) Program. The goals of the MA MIECHV needs assessment were to: (1) identify communities with concentrations of risk; (2) identify the quality and capacity of existing programs or initiatives for early childhood home visiting in the state; (3) discuss the state’s capacity for providing substance use treatment and counseling services to individuals and families in need of such treatment or services; and (4) coordinate with and take into account requirements of the Title V, CAPTA, and Head Start needs assessments. TIER’s broader aims were to generate a comprehensive understanding of the needs of families with young children across Massachusetts within the context of racial inequities, to determine whether existing family support programs and services are sufficient to both meet families’ needs and effect change at a structural level, and to identify strategies to strengthen the state’s early childhood systems of care.

Meet our Community Evaluators from the Needs Assessments project!