Public invited to comment on draft maternal and child health block grant application

BISMARCK, ND (JULY 2, 2025) - North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS) has completed the state's application for Federal Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant supporting the health and well-being of women, infants, children and adolescents for the federal fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2025, and ending Sept. 30, 2026. The application is now available for public comment until July 17, 2025.

The application includes a description of the state’s plan to provide preventive and primary care services for pregnant women, mothers and infants to age one, and children and adolescents. It also describes how the state plans to deliver family-centered, community-based, coordinated care and support development of community-based systems of services for children with special health care needs and their families.

HHS conducted a statewide needs assessment to identify service gaps and barriers and to determine important needs in North Dakota’s maternal, infant and child populations. Six goals based on national performance measures were identified as priorities and include:

Identify, reduce or eliminate barriers preventing women from receiving recommended postpartum care, including mental health screening, breastfeeding support, care coordination and more;
Use statewide resources to educate about and implement safe sleep best practices;
Expand partnerships with schools, food banks, public health units and other existing community resources to improve access to healthy food;
Improve care coordination to link the pediatric population to essential services and resources;
Identify, reduce or eliminate barriers preventing adolescents from receiving mental health treatment and counseling; and
Improve the system of care for children with special health care needs.

In addition to the six federal performance measures, the state’s HHS Title V team also monitors North Dakota’s progress on three crosscutting state priority measures and a variety of health indicators. Goals for these state priorities include:

Reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities among the pediatric, adolescent and young adult populations;
Increasing awareness about and usage of statewide services or resources; and
Implementing all North Dakota state mandates delegated to the HHS Title V -Maternal and Child Health programs.

Public Comment

A copy of the draft Title V application is available for public comment through July 17, 2025, at hhs.nd.gov/north-dakota-mch-work-plans. Copies will also be provided upon request.

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

Back to Previous Page