Application for maternal and child health block grant funds available for public comment

BISMARCK, ND - North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) has completed the state's application for the federal Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant funds that support preventive and primary care health services for women and children for the federal fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2024, and ending Sept. 30, 2025. HHS is inviting public comment on the application now through July 12.

North Dakota’s application describes the state’s plan to provide:

Preventive and primary care services for pregnant women, mothers, infants to age one, older children and adolescents, and
Family-centered, community-based, coordinated care and development of community-based systems of services for children with special health care needs and their families.

HHS led a statewide needs assessment designed to identify service gaps and barriers and to determine important needs in North Dakota’s maternal and child population. Through that process, the following five goals based on national performance measures were identified as priorities:

Increase the percentage of women who have an annual preventive health visit
Increase the percentage of infants who are breastfed and who are breastfed exclusively through six months
Increase the percentage of children and adolescents who are physically active
Increase the percentage of adolescents who have a preventive health and wellness visit
Increase the percentage of adolescents with and without special health care needs who have received the services needed to transition to adult health care

In addition to these five federal performance measures, the Title V Maternal and Child Health staff also monitors North Dakota’s progress on three state priority measures and various health indicators.

Goals for these state priorities include:

Reduce annual motor vehicle crash fatalities to fewer than 75 by 2025
Support workforce development for state Title V program leaders and staff to meet current public health maternal child health policy and programmatic requirements around health transformation, including ongoing transformation of the Title V block grant
Implement all North Dakota state mandates delegated to the HHS Title V maternal and child health programs.

Public Comment

To view the draft application, visit www.hhs.nd.gov/north-dakota-mch-work-plans. Copies will also be provided upon request.

Individuals can provide public comment by July 12, 2024, by email to krhruby@nd.gov, by phone to (701) 328-4854, 711 (TTY) or by mail to North Dakota Health and Human Services - Public Health Division, Attn: Kimberly Hruby, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325, Bismarck, N.D., 58505-0250.

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