PROVIDENCE — The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program has granted $7.7 million to the R.I. Department of Health for evidence-based home visiting services to pregnant women and parents of young children.
The grant is $593,764 more than the $7,124,318 HRSA and MIECHV awarded to the R.I. Department of Health for the program in 2017. The MIECHV Program supports pregnant women and families, particularly those considered at-risk, in their efforts to raise children who are physically, socially, and emotionally healthy and ready to succeed.
Nationally, HRSA awarded $361 million to 56 states, territories and nonprofit organizations.
“Evidence-based home visiting programs help parents improve their family’s health and provide better opportunities for their children,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas. “These awards allow states to support local agencies in providing tailored home visiting services, meeting the specific needs of families in their own communities.”
In FY 2017, the MIECHV Program served more than 156,000 parents and children in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories, and provided over 942,000 home visits. The Program serves almost 42 percent of United States counties with high rates of poor birth outcomes or poverty. Almost three-fourths of families participating in the program had household incomes at or below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
“The MIECHV Program helps parents and caregivers connect with services and resources and empowers families with the tools they need to thrive,” said Laura Kavanagh, Acting Associate Administrator of HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. “The Program’s two-generation approach is aimed at improving the well-being of both parents and children across the lifespan, leading to healthier and stronger families and communities.”
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
