As health reform continues to take center stage in Washington, DC, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs is calling on citizens to contact their Congress members and voice support for increasing Maternal and Child Health (MCH) funding. They are calling for full-funding of the $850 million for Title V MCH Block Grant.
The MCH Block Grant authorized by Title V of the Social Security Act is the only Federal program that solely focuses on improving the health of all mothers and children. Title V funds support programs for millions of pregnant women, infants and children, including those with special health care needs to facilitate the development of family-centered, community-based, coordinated systems of care. Essential services like transportation, translation, home visiting, nutrition counseling, and care coordination are sustained with Title V funds. These services are critical to the well-being of all mothers and children, but even more so for Latinas. Culturally sensitive programs greatly assist the Latino community in navigating the health care system and invite families to utilize services that will keep women and children healthy.
There continues to be a big need for additional MCH resources in this country. Racial and ethnic health disparities persist, and women of color have disproportionate rates of preterm birth, low birth weight babies, and infant mortality. States are able to use Title V funds to provide and enable access to comprehensive pre and postnatal care, helping to make sure that women begin receiving care early on in their pregnancies.
Be an advocate for full funding for the MCH Block Grant and contact your elected officials today! Instructions for who to call and what to say can be found here.
More about MCH funding and Title V here.
Contributed by Norma Haro, Summer Research Intern
