Critical Work at a Critical Time: Spotlight on MCC’s Policy & Advocacy Team
At a time when the work of improving maternal and child health outcomes is more urgent than ever, MCC’s growing Policy & Advocacy team has been tackling critical policy and collective impact issues like Medicaid reimbursement for doulas,paid family and medical leave in PA, and bolstering regional maternal health coalitions. We’re pleased to share our recent conversation with this mighty team of maternal and child health experts and advocates!
How has expanding from 1 to 5 staff members changed your capacity and goals?
Sara Jann Heinze: We have the same goals we had when we were a one-person department, tied to MCC’s theory of change. What we're able to work on, however, has grown dramatically.
Emma Jensen: Hosting more events is a big one. It’s been incredible to see Natalie, Nya, and Rose, who are all so good at what they do, give that their full attention.
What are some of the recent wins for your team?
Nya-Brielle Earrusso: Natalie and I jumped right into identifying lived experience experts for the Southeastern PA Regional Maternal Health Coalition. It's one of the ways you can inject equity into the process and make sure that you're not building a coalition around maternal health without moms, birthing people, and people who have experienced the perinatal period. We’re not moving forward without them.
Emma: It’s also exciting that our team is part of the advocacy that has made U.S. history for moving a paid leave bill in the Pennsylvania Senate.
Sara: In addition to hosting roundtables, we held our first paid leave advocacy day in the Capitol around Mother’s Day. National organizations look to Pennsylvania for what we can accomplish and what tactics are working, because it’s a little microcosm: It’s a diverse state with a split General Assembly. This is the most bipartisan paid family and medical leave bill in the country, and the progress that we have made has been phenomenal. It's annoying to say, but we're the closest we've ever been.
What’s keeping you busy? What are the biggest challenges or opportunities on the horizon?
Rose Khan: I really thought I could get away with not talking about the federal government, but right now that is one of our biggest challenges. We’re planning webinars for our staff and community about [the federal budget changes]. The bill is incredibly confusing: so much of it can feel daunting. But what is important to us is, ‘OK, can we be a trusted source of information acknowledging that yes, this is hard. But also here’s how you can contact your representative, here are some tangible next steps.’
What do you want MCC’s community of supporters to know about your work right now? How can they get involved?
Sara: Our work is ongoing. It makes perfect sense that people could feel hopeless or panicked. The policy space can be an echo chamber. But that’s one of the really cool things about Maternity Care Coalition—at the end of the day, we are not JUST a policy organization. We are all here on behalf of the clients and the families we serve. I think that keeps our team honest and it keeps us connected to the work. I think that's a bright spot in a pretty dark storm.
Want to support these efforts? Contact your elected officials on the critical topics of Medicaid (through the Protect Medicaid Vigil) and paid family leave in PA (through Moms First), and stay connected to MCC for more updates.
Who’s Who on MCC’s Policy & Advocacy Team:
Sara Jann Heinze, Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy. Sara joined MCC in March 2016 and oversees MCC’s policy, advocacy and collective impact work. Prior to joining MCC Sara earned her Master's Degree in Political Science & International Relations and worked in public benefits access.
Emma Jensen, Senior Policy Coordinator. Emma (she/her) joined MCC in 2024 and helps manage work on prenatal and early childhood economic security and represent MCC in the Family Care Coalition. Emma graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor’s in Political Science.
Rose Khan, Senior Policy Coordinator. Since joining MCC in January 2025, Rose (she/her) focuses on maternal and child health policy and facilitating policy focused community conversations. Rose holds a Master of Social Work and a Master of Science in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania and Bachelor’s in History, Politics, and Social Work from NYU.
Natalie Gormley, Collaborative Initiatives Coordinator. Natalie (she/her) joined MCC in 2023 as Program Associate for the Healthy Families America program. Today, she supports the Southeastern PA Regional Maternal Health Coalition, the MOSAIC Project, and MCC’s advocacy efforts. Natalie earned her Bachelor’s in Global Studies from Temple University.
Nya-Brielle Earrusso, Director of Collaborative Initiatives. Nya-Brielle (she/her) joined MCC in March of 2025 and supports the Southeastern PA Regional Maternal Health Coalition and leads the MOSAIC Project. Nya holds a Master of Social Work and Human Service Management Certificate from Rutgers University, and a Bachelor's in Sociology and Public Health from Boston University.