Maternal and Child Health Services - Maryland has a history of strong funding for health and social service programs, including maternal and child health programs. During Fiscal Year 2024, the federal Title V award was $12,377,354 and the state met its match of $3 for every $4 of federal funds. In FY 2024, Maryland’s Title V program provided direct, enabling, and public health services to approximately 326,300 people. This included pregnant women, infants, children, children with special health care needs and adolescents. Maryland Department of Health is committed to ensuring lifelong health and wellness for all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement. Maryland’s Title V program resides in the Prevention and Health Promotion Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Maryland’s Title V leadership team provides oversight and ensures programs are aligned across the Bureau. There are approximately 28 state-level staff and contractors and 58 local health district staff across 24 local health departments who implement Title V activities outlined in the five-year state action plan. The Role of Title V The mission of Maryland Title V is to protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of all women, infants, children and adolescents. Maryland Title V work strengthens the maternal and child health infrastructure in the state to ensure the availability, accessibility, and quality of primary and specialty care services for women, infants, children and adolescents, with special consideration for those children and youth with specific health care needs. As Maryland’s Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant recipient, the Maryland Department of Health’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau provides the leadership to implement strategies focused on improving the health and well-being of maternal and child health populations across the state. MCHB staff partners across other bureaus and offices within the Department and collaborate with other state agencies to fulfill Title V’s mission. Central to Maryland’s Title V program is its commitment to eliminating health differences and promoting fair conditions for all children and families. The state has established a Commission, which focuses on addressing longstanding differences in health outcomes across populations. The Commission is responsible for making recommendations for data collection, needs, reporting, evaluation and visualization for the different datasets within the state. Furthermore, Title V staff participates in both the Prevention and Health Promotion Administration and Bureau’s internal workgroup to address differing health needs. The Administration and the Bureau emphasize the importance of integrating the voices of individuals with contextual experience, ensuring that policies and programs are informed by those directly impacted by health outcomes. Through this framework, Maryland’s Title V program implements evidence-informed strategies to support the state’s selected priorities, National Performance Measures and State Performance Measures that align with other health improvement initiatives in the state. The Title V priorities and performance measures provide a centralized framework and unifying plan for maternal and child health initiatives. Maryland Title V funds support direct, enabling, and system-level services at the state health department, all twenty-four of the state’s local health departments, higher educational institutions, community-based organizations, and health care systems. Partnerships are key to the success of Title V to expand reach to the maternal and child health population and address their needs. Maryland Title V also serves as the central connector among various maternal and child health initiatives by holding collaboratives and convening state partners. Finally, Title V funding supports critical public health infrastructure such as epidemiology activities, surveillance initiatives, program staffing, and o
