About the Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center

The Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center is the primary voice advocating and supporting education, awareness and access to medical genetics information in the Mountain States region

The Mountain States Genetics Regional Collaborative Center (MoStGene) provides education and information services to individuals from all regions and segments of the community, with a focus on activities in Arizona Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.  Our unique, dynamic network includes physicians, genetic counselors, scientists, laboratory technologists, public health administrators, nurses, consumers, HMOs, policy makers, corporations, educators and students.  

Since 1984, MoStGene’s unique approach has brought together medical professionals, public health specialists, scientists, laboratory technologists and consumers in an unprecedented assembly of informed, committed individuals who share a strong desire to work together, sharing knowledge and experience to further the understanding of how genetics is influencing our lives. New activities, accredited educational symposia, an updated website, and exciting expanded networking opportunities are only a small part of the energy that drives our vision of improved health and quality of life for all populations through education and greater understanding of medical genetics. 

As MoStGene grows, we will continue to build strength on the basis of equality among members, non-partisan agendas and apolitical approaches to solution development in all areas of genetics and health care.

MoStGene’s mission is divided into nine principle goals:

• to assess the need for genetics services throughout the region

• to establish and maintain a database of genetic services provided in the region

• to promote collaboration and the sharing of resources among genetics professionals throughout the region

• to promote cultural sensitivity and consumer participation in genetics service issues

• to develop and carry out genetics education for primary care and other health care providers to assist member states with integrating genetics services into their maternal and child health programs to monitor the quality of clinical and laboratory genetics services within the region to collaborate with the Council of Regional Networks in addressing public health genetics issues at the state and national levels

• to measure the impact of managed care on genetics services within the region and to act to assure comprehensive genetics service access to all

These goals are met through the activities of eight committees with the following objectives:

Clinical Services Committee:

Co-Chair: BJ Archambeault (MT)
Co-Chair: Joanne Milisa (NM) Promote the establishment, practice, and delivery of quality clinical genetic services in the six-state region.

Consumer Issues Committee:

Co-Chair: Susan Duffy (MT) Co-Chair:  Jan Duffy (MT) Present and discuss issues from a consumer perspective, as they relate to the field of human genetics, and provide programs that instruct consumers on any and all matters that will enable the consumer representatives to function effectively within the network, i.e., basic genetics, legislative advocacy, networking, etc.

 Education Committee:

Chair: Sarah Iden (AZ) Provide current and ongoing educational opportunities in the field of genetics to professionals and lay individuals within the six-state region, especially primary care providers.

Laboratory Practices Committee: 

Chair: Mary Haag, Ph.D. (MT)

To assimilate available information, educating health care professionals on the many aspects of the expanding technology, and initiating guidelines to ensure quality control in the use of this technology. To establish and promote a quality assurance program needed to ensure, in the face of rapidly evolving technology, that laboratory tests diagnose-which can have major impacts upon patients’ physical and social well-being, even to the point of being life determining- are accurate, are performed in credible laboratories offering a level of quality that meets or exceeds established standards, and are appropriately interpreted to health care professionals.

Newborn Screening Committee: 

Chair: Fay Keune Provide current and ongoing education regarding newborn screening to practitioners and consumers and maintain quality in delivery of newborn screening services.

Prenatal Diagnosis Committee:

Co-Chair: Faye Myrick (NM) Co-Chair: Kathleen O'Connor (CO)

Disseminate information to consumers and health care providers about the availability of preconception and prenatal counseling regarding specific risk assessment and preventive measures and the availability of prenatal testing for these risks. Monitor and improve access and quality of such testing, including fetal karyotyping, fetal biochemical testing, fetal DNA testing, high resolution targeted sonography, and other diagnostic tests.

Public Health Issues Committee: 

Chair: Lyn Martinez (UT) Improve the quality, accessibility, and use of genetic services, by helping states to integrate genetic services into Title V Programs, assess needs, and improve reimbursement.

Steering/Planning Committee: 

Chair: Mary Haag (MT) Composed of the committee chairs, two elected representatives from each state, and one elected consumer, Steering and Planning carries out the overall planning, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluation of the Network.

For more information about the activities of MoStGene, contact:

Joyce Hooker
Executive Director, MoStGene
8129 West Fremont Ave
Littleton, CO 80128
jhooker@msgrcc.org

Last Update: June 23, 2006