HRSA Invests Nearly $90 Million to Address Maternal Health Crisis

HRSA Invests Nearly $90 Million to Address Maternal Health Crisis

The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced nearly $90 million in awards to support the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, a whole-of-government strategy to combat maternal mortality and improve maternal and infant health, particularly in underserved communities.

In recent decades, the United States’ maternal mortality rate has been among the highest of any developed nation. Disparities in mortality are stark — Black women are more than three times as likely as White women to die from pregnancy-related causes. The Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to reversing these trends by expanding access to maternal care, growing the maternal care workforce, supporting moms experiencing maternal depression, and addressing the important social supports that are vital to safe pregnancies. The White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis identifies five key goals to realize their vision, and has awarded funding within these broad five categories:

1. Increase Access to Coverage and Comprehensive High-Quality Maternal Health Services, Including Behavioral Health Services

$24 million across 20 states to establish maternal health tasks forces with focus on innovation. Including 1.5 million to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) in this category.
$9 million to support 12 states in training OB/GYNs, midwives, and other maternal health providers in treating MH and SUD conditions.
$2 million in rural areas to develop strategies to meet their maternal and obstetric needs.

2. Ensure Those Giving Birth are Heard and are Decision Makers in Accountable Systems of Care

$11 million to fund 10 new programs through the Healthy Start Initiative to provide direct services to pregnant and postpartum mothers.
$5.5 million to support 28 states to implement "patient safety bundles" in birthing facilities, which are patient-centered strategies to improve health system accountability and improve the quality of delivery and postpartum care. Including $200,000 to ODH in this category.

3. Advance Data Collection, Standardization, Transparency, Research, and Analysis

$10 million to establish a new research network that will support minority serving institutions of higher learning to study disparities in maternal health outcomes and identify strategies to address them. Including $483,400 to The Ohio State University in this category.

4. Expand and Diversify the Perinatal Workforce

$8 million to train and deploy more nurse midwives.
$4.5 million to establish the Institute for Home Visiting Workforce Development and the Jackie Walorski Center for Evidence-Based Case Management to help home-visiting programs recruit, train, and retain a diverse home visiting workforce.

5. Strengthen Economic and Social Support for People Before, During, and After Pregnancy

$8 million in five (5) states to expand access to social and health services during pregnancy and postpartum.
$6 million to ensure that new mothers and their families are supported during the Medicaid redetermination processes associated with the PHE unwinding. Including $170,233 to ODH in this category.