Milbank State Leadership Network

 

The Milbank State Leadership Network is a bipartisan group of more than 400 state health policymakers from the executive and legislative branches.

  • “The states are really where health policy action is. There are 50 state labs, plus DC, plus the territories, and they’re innovating in a thousand different ways. To be able to bring state leaders together to enhance their leadership potential is where we feel like the greatest difference can be made in population health and health equity.”

    Morgan McDonald
    Morgan McDonald, MD

    National Director for Population Health and Health Equity Leadership, Milbank Memorial Fund

What is the MSLN?

The Milbank State Leadership Network (MSLN) is composed of state officials and staff focused on improving population health and health equity. Milbank National Population Health and Health Equity Leadership Director Morgan McDonald, MD, shares the latest evidence and relevant peer experiences in her monthly MSLN newsletter and in member-only briefings featuring experts and state and local officials.

Join Our Mailing List

If you are a current member of state or local government seeking evidence and experience that will help you improve the health of the people in your state or local area, contact us at info@milbank.org.

Email Us

Technical Assistance

The MSLN supports technical assistance convenings for states. These maybe peer-to-peer information-sharing sessions or meetings with an issue expert.

Learn more

Briefings

MSLN’s virtual briefings feature subject matter experts and experienced state policymakers discussing topics that are highly relevant to today’s legislative and executive branch state leaders.

Learn more

Emerging Leaders Program

The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) is a 10-month leadership development program for early and mid-career legislative and executive branch state, large-county, and large-city government officials.

Learn more

Milbank Fellows Program

The Milbank Fellows Program (MFP) is a 10-month leadership program for senior executive branch and legislative state leaders who are committed to improving population health in their communities.

Learn more

Latest State Leadership Resources

  • Ann Gillespie: Succeeding in Both Branches of Government

    Read More

  • Grace for the Gaps 

    Read More

  • The Commonwealth Fund 2024 State Health Disparities Report: Milbank State Leadership Network Post-Briefing Fact Sheet

    Read More

  • State Leadership Resource Library

    Resource Types

    Current Topics

    Publication

    Principles for CHW Reimbursement Rates

    November 2024
    Christine Haran
    Developing Sufficient Rates. As of January 2024, there was significant variation in Medicaid payment rates for CHW/P/CHR services covered by state fee-for-service (FFS) programs, ranging from just under $10 to $35 per 30 minutes.18 For comparison, the average national rate for 30 minutes of Medicare Community Health Integration services provided by a CHW is $50.26.19 States with SPAs authorizing […] More

    Publication

    CHW State Plan Amendment Model Text

    November 2024
    Christine Haran
    1. (Definition) A community health worker, promotore, and community health representative (CHW/P/CHR) is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship enables the worker to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health/social services and the community to facilitate access to services […] More

    Publication

    Medicaid Reimbursement for Community Health Worker Services: Model State Plan Amendment & Other Guidance

    November 2024
    Annie Cloke, Margarita Hart, Janée Tyus, Dawn Alley and Shreya Kangovi
    Overview Community health workers, promotores, and community health representatives (CHW/P/CHR) address health-related social needs through resource navigation, peer social support, health coaching, and advocacy. A large body of research suggests that well-designed CHW/P/CHR programs improve chronic disease control and mental health, promote healthy behaviors, reduce hospitalizations, and increase participation in primary care. CHW/P/CHR programs have historically […] More

    Blog Post

    Fear, Trust, and Hope

    November 2024
    Christopher F. Koller
    Fear is a powerful force. Fear for her daughter’s safety drove my sister to take a bullet to protect my niece from a carjacker. Fear of raising their children in a “culture of violence” led friends of mine to relocate to another country.  While some fear is an important survival mechanism — life has risks […] More

    Blog Post

    Trust Me: Building Relationships to Weather Our Political Climate

    November 2024
    Morgan McDonald
    A trip home to help with Appalachian mountain relief work in the wake of Hurricane Helene brought lessons on trust and community for Morgan McDonald, Milbank’s National Director of Population Health and Health Equity Leadership. More

    News Article

    Partnering with the Gun Lobby to Enact Suicide Prevention Laws in Utah

    October 2024
    Marjorie Cortez
    The first time Utah state Rep. Steve Eliason was asked what he was going to do about a rash of youth suicides in his suburban Salt Lake County neighborhood, he didn’t know what to say.  Some of the people asking were parents whose children had taken their lives. Others were friends and classmates of the […] More

    Blog Post

    How Health Insurers Can Partner with Grocery Stores to Improve SNAP and WIC Enrollment

    October 2024
    Michael Wolfe and Zack Wortman
    Some payers are pursuing strategies beyond traditional health care systems by focusing on public benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). However, there is an intuitive but underutilized partner for payers seeking to increase SNAP and WIC uptake among their members: grocery stores. More

    Blog Post

    Innovations in Rural Obstetrics to Maintain Access to Care

    September 2024
    Mary Louise Gilburg, Morgan McDonald and Erin E. Sullivan
    The closures of rural hospitals and obstetric services has created an urgent need for innovative approaches to maintaining high-quality obstetrics care in these areas. In the past 10 years, over 200 rural hospitals have discontinued providing labor and delivery services; now less than half of rural hospitals provide this care.   In March 2024, leaders […] More

    Blog Post

    Charting a New History: A Moderate Republican Calls for Change

    September 2024
    Charlie Conrad
    The Milbank Memorial Fund is committed to the leadership development, nonpartisanship, and the depolarization efforts needed to bring all parties to the table to think critically and debate with civility as we collectively move toward better health and health care systems for all the populations we serve. As part of this work, we are inviting […] More

    Blog Post

    Confronting the Bully: New North Carolina Medicaid Program Gets Hospitals to Forgive and Prevent Medical Debt

    September 2024
    Christopher F. Koller
    A new Medicaid-based program in North Carolina is expected to relieve approximately $4 billion in medical debt. More