House Bill 1685 establishes a grant program that would aid local government in the provision of care coordination, intervention, and services to low-income pregnant and postpartum women and children from birth to 3 years old. MACo submitted written testimony in support of HB 1685 to the House Health and Government Operations Committee on March 20, 2018.

From MACo Testimony:

The grant program helps local governments and their community-based partners to spearhead comprehensive, collaborative programs designed to address women’s pre- and postnatal health and their child’s development. Strong families are a bedrock for strong communities. A holistic approach to supporting children and their mothers can yield overwhelming results for the long-term well-being of counties and their communities.

For instance, coordination of programs can help ensure that babies can grow into children that will enter the school system physically and mentally healthy and ready to learn. Together, these programs can also help eligible women to improve their maternal health and build life skills to achieve some economic independence.

Counties have a vested public health interest in reducing health disparities and improving the well-being of women and children.”

For more on this and other legislation, follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2018 legislative session here.