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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2020
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343
[email protected]

HHS Awards Nearly $360 Million To Programs Supporting Maternal and Child Health

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced approximately $341 million in funding to 55 states, territories and nonprofit organizations through the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and approximately $16 million in funding to the State Maternal Health Innovation (State MHI) Program to improve maternal health outcomes.

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

These funds support communities to provide voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to pregnant women and parents with young children up to kindergarten entry.

"We know that home visiting programs are an effective way to improve moms' and kids' health and well-being, and they continue to play a critical role addressing needs during the pandemic," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "In addition to tackling the pressing challenge of maternal and child health, these awards support exactly the kind of person-centered program that we believe can help foster long-term health and independence."

In FY 2019, the MIECHV Program served approximately 154,000 parents and children in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories, and provided over one million home visits. The Program also reached many of the most underserved families in FY 2019. Almost three-fourths of families participating in the Program had household incomes at or below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, two-thirds of adult participants had a high school education or less, and 76 percent of adults and children relied on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

"The MIECHV Program aims to improve the well-being of both parents and children across the life course, leading to healthier and stronger families and communities," said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. "In these voluntary programs, trained professionals meet regularly with expectant parents or families with young children in their homes, fostering strong, positive relationships with families who want and need support."

Administered by HRSA, in partnership with the Administration for Children and Families, the MIECHV Program supports pregnant women and families in at-risk communities as they raise children who are physically, socially and emotionally healthy and ready to succeed. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the MIECHV program, which has provided more than 6 million home visits, and empowered parents and families with the tools they need to thrive since 2010.

State Maternal Health Innovation Program

The State MHI Program is comprised of nine cooperative agreements aimed at addressing the high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States and improving maternal health outcomes. This is the second year of five total years of funding to help strengthen states' capacity to address disparities in maternal health, convene a state level maternal health task force, develop each state's strategic plan and implement innovative approaches, such as expanding telehealth services to improve access to care.

For more information on HRSA's Home Visiting Program, visit http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting.

For a list of awardees, visit https://mchb.hrsa.gov/maternal-child-health-initiatives/home-visiting/fy20-awards.

For more information about HRSA's maternal health activities visit: https://www.hrsa.gov/maternal-health

For a list of awardees, visit https://mchb.hrsa.gov/maternal-child-health-initiatives/fy20-state-maternal-health-innovation-awards.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news.
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Last revised: September 21, 2020

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