Maternal and child health services - the kentucky title v program is committed to assuring the health and well-being of kentucky's maternal and child health populations

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (Maternal and Child Health Bureau) awarded $34.446 million to Health Services Kentucky Cabinet For on October 1, 2025, under the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the States (CFDA 93.994) for maternal and child health services delivery and systems development throughout Kentucky. The award runs through September 30, 2027.

The program supports access to quality maternal and child health services for Kentucky's low-income and at-risk populations, including prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care for pregnant women; preventive and primary care services for low-income children; rehabilitation services for blind and disabled individuals under age 16; and family-centered, community-based coordinated care for children with special health care needs. The 2025–2030 Title V needs assessment identifies state priorities including maternal mortality and morbidity, postpartum visit rates, infant mortality, child safety, childhood obesity, adolescent mental health, sexual health and teen pregnancy, substance abuse disorder, medical home referrals and care coordination, and support networks for families with children with special health care needs.

Work is performed in Kentucky, with place of performance encompassing the state and subordinate local health departments. The Cabinet passed through funding as sub-awards dated July 1, 2026, to district and county health departments across Kentucky, including Ashland Boyd County Health Department, Graves County Health Department, Bullitt County Health Department, Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department, Whitley County Health Department, Green River District Health Department, Mercer County Health Department, Floyd County Health Department, Pike County Health Department, North Central District Health Department, Three Rivers District Health Department, Marshall County Health Department, Monroe County Health Department, Lake Cumberland District Health Department, Carter County Fiscal Court, Christian County Health Department, Greenup County Health Department, Knox County Health Department, Bracken County Health Department, Lexington-Fayette Urban-County Department of Health, Muhlenberg County Health Department, Franklin County Health Department, Madison County Health Department, Clark County Health Department, Bourbon County Health Department, Calloway County Health Department, Martin County Health Dept, Woodford County Kentucky, Breckinridge County Health Department, Laurel County Health Department, Purchase District Health Department, Barren River District Health Department, Wedco District Health Department, Oldham County Health Department, Magoffin County Health Department, Bell County Health Department, Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government, Lewis County Health Department, and KY River District Health Department. These sub-recipients deliver maternal and child health services, WIC administration, immunization programs, HIV prevention and surveillance, family planning, cancer screening, emergency preparedness, epidemiology and laboratory capacity, and opioid response initiatives in their respective counties and districts.

As defined in section 501(a)(1) of the title v legislation, the purpose of the MCH services block grant program is to enable each state: a. To provide and to assure mothers and children access to quality MCH services; b. To reduce infant mortality and the incidence of preventable diseases and handicapping conditions among children, to reduce the need for inpatient and long-term care services, to increase the number of children appropriately immunized, and otherwise to promote the health of mothers and infants by providing prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care for low income, at-risk pregnant women, and to promote the health of children by providing preventive and primary care services for low income children; c. To provide rehabilitation services for blind and disabled individuals under the age of 16 receiving benefits under title XVI, to the extent medical assistance for such services are not provided under title XIX; and d. To provide and to promote family-centered community-based coordinated care for children with special health care needs and to facilitate the development of community-based systems of services for such children and their families. Title v requires a comprehensive needs assessment every five years and state priorities are determined based on the findings. The priorities identified in the 2025-2030 title v needs assessment were: 1. Maternal mortality and morbidity 2. Improve postpartum visit rates 3. Infant mortality 4. Child safety: injury, abuse and neglect 5. Childhood obesity 6. Adolescent mental health 7. Sexual health including teen pregnancy 8. Substance abuse disorder 9. Medical home: referrals & care coordination (children, adolescents, & cyshcn populations) 10. Support network for families (cyshcn) in kentucky, 34.9% of the title v block grant is provided to the office for children with special health care needs (ocshcn). Of the remaining MCH funds, more than half goes to local health departments to provide direct, enabling, and public health services/system building activities depending on the needs of the local MCH populations. The state assures these funds will be used appropriately through a select list of MCH evidence informed strategies that are focused on the identified priorities. The remainder of the MCH allocation is budgeted for public health services and systems. These include surveillance (maternal mortality, child fatality review), workforce development and trainings, information technology systems for data collection, regionalized perinatal care, and technical assistance to local health departments and other agencies for pediatric injury prevention.