Division of State and Community Health (DSCH)

We support the health and well-being of all mothers, children, and families through the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant, a federal-state partnership authorized in 1935 by the Social Security Act.

Key Accomplishments

We provide:

• More than $550 million to all 59 states and jurisdictions to improve their public health systems and services for mothers, children, and families
• Oversight of the Title V MCH Block Grant program through three guiding principles:
  • Delivery of Title V services within a public health service model
  • Data-driven programming and performance accountability
  • Partnerships with individuals/families/family-led organizations to make sure systems and services support the interests of all MCH populations
• Subject matter expertise—Our regional staff facilitate partnerships with stakeholders, including the HRSA Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (HRSA IEA), to maintain an awareness of current trends and needs
• Technical assistance to help address each state’s unique needs—Recent areas of technical assistance include health equity, mental health, maternal mortality, health care transition, family engagement, and distribution of funding to communities
• Support to build state data capacity, including serving as the liaison to Federal partners—We implement the MCH-Jurisdictional Survey to fill key data gaps for U.S. territories and other jurisdictions

Programs We Manage

Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant

Our Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) support the goals of the Title V MCH Block Grant, filling gaps and building the capacity for the systems of services:

• Partnership for State Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Leadership Community
• Partnership for Urban Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Leadership Community
• State Systems Development Initiative (SSDI) (PDF - 375KB)

Our Title V Information System (TVIS) features state-reported financial, performance, and program data.

Contact Us

Shirley Payne, PhD, MPH

Director