Supporting high-quality comprehensive care

Bleeding disorders affect people of all ages, races, and socioeconomic groups across the U.S. In 2012, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) in the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recognized the need to coordinate care for bleeding disorders on a national scale. The NHPCC was established to support a national infrastructure of regional hemophilia networks to promote access and high-quality, comprehensive care. It is funded by the HRSA grant #UC8MC24079 through the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN), its sponsoring organization.

Mission Statement

The mission of the NHPCC is to coordinate the efforts of the U.S. Hemophilia Treatment Center Network (USHTCN) to promote and improve comprehensive care for individuals with hemophilia and related bleeding or clotting disorders. Consistent with the vision of HRSA, the NHPCC aims to support access to quality services, a strong public health workforce, and innovative, high-value programs.

On a national scale, the NHPCC is working to:

  • Strengthen the capacity of the regional hemophilia networks and the integrated care teams at HTCs across the country
  • Improve access to comprehensive, quality care for underserved populations with hemophilia and related blood or clotting disorders
  • Leverage quality improvement to track national, regional, and patient-level data to assess and improve clinical outcomes
  • Train and support HTC staff with quality improvement and motivational interviewing tools and infrastructure to improve care and patient outcomes

The NHPCC has built an inclusive organizational structure to support the 8 regional hemophilia networks and serve the bleeding disorders community. Activities include:

  • Developing in-person and virtual training programs and educational webinars
  • Conducting surveys and assessments to increase understanding and inform best practices
  • Collecting data and reporting to measure progress
  • Evaluating and assessing programs and services
  • Supporting HTC staff and Regional Leadership
  • Hosting a Resource Repository that increases the evidence base on the benefits of comprehensive care

The NHPCC has built upon our collaborations with the regional hemophilia networks and other partners to align strategic efforts and improve access and care for people with hemophilia and related bleeding disorders. Through a variety of initiatives, together we’re making an impact.

View our impact

Our Team

Melissa Creary

Melissa Creary, PhD, MPH

Interim Director, Office of Public Health Initiatives

mcreary@athn.org

As Interim Director, Office of Public Health Initiatives, Melissa is responsible for supporting the NHPCC’s efforts in reaching programmatic goals and timelines. She helps facilitate partnership between the NHPCC and the regional hemophilia networks and supports the vision of these two collaborative entities. With a distinguished background in public health, Melissa spent nine years at the CDC Division of Blood Disorders where she helped create and co-lead the first national program and data collection system for sickle cell disease and thalassemia. In addition to her work at ATHN, she is also an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies and her MPH in Public Health from Emory University.

Justine Kaplan, MSPH

Senior Director, Office of Public Health Initiatives

jkaplan@athn.org

As Senior Director, Office of Public Health Initiatives, Justine is responsible for supporting ATHN’s efforts to coordinate federal programs, strengthen partnerships, implement health equity programming, and leverage ATHN’s capabilities to support medically underserved populations. Justine comes to the position with 20 years of experience working in public health, including public health practice work at the city, county, state, and national level, as well as experience training the next generation of public health practitioners as a faculty member. Most of her experience has focused on chronic disease prevention, management, and policy change, with a focus on health equity. She received her MSPH from the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health.