Maternal and Child Health Resource Repository

U.S. births declined for the third year in a row in 2017 to 3.85 million, the fewest in 30 years, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thirteen states participating in a regional collaborative to improve birth outcomes in the South decreased early elective deliveries by an average 22% between 2011 and 2014, compared with 14% in other regions.

The Joint Commission yesterday issued a safety advisory for hospitals on preventing newborn falls.

AHA’s Section for Maternal and Child Health and Hospitals Against Violence initiative will host a March 27 webinar on how hospitals and health systems can combat interpersonal violence in their communities.

The AHA Section for Maternal and Child Health and our partners in the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) share the tools and resources available to your hospital to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.

The American Hospital Association's Section for Maternal and Child Health in partnership with our Hospitals Against Violence (HAV) initiative invite you to an upcoming webinar. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin will provide example on how hospitals and health systems can play a leading role in their community to combat escalating violence and to break the cycle of violence for victims and families. 

Early infant deaths from critical congenital heart disease decreased 33.4% between 2011 and 2013 in states with mandatory screening for the condition, according to a study reported last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Early infant deaths from other or unspecified cardiac causes also declined by 21.4% in those states. Most states implemented policies requiring screening for critical congenital heart disease after the condition was added to the U.S.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote this evening on a continuing resolution funding the federal government through Jan. 19. The current CR expires tomorrow.

The Senate voted 51-48 early today to approve the conference report for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act after removing several provisions that did not comply with budget reconciliation rules. The House then reapproved the bill, which can now go to the president for his signature.

The AHA today urged Congress to include in year-end legislation a number of policies that impact hospitals and health systems and the patients they serve.

House Republican leaders yesterday introduced a stop-gap spending measure to fund federal domestic programs through Jan. 19 that also includes five years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The bill also would eliminate $2 billion in scheduled Medicaid disproportionate share hospital reductions in fiscal year 2018 and $3 billion in reductions in FY 2019. The current short-term measure funding the government expires Dec. 22.

The American Hospital Association's Hospitals Against Violence initiative invites you to an upcoming webinar on how hospitals and health systems can take a lead in convening community stakeholders and citizens to combat escalating violence.

The National Governors Association yesterday urged House and Senate leaders to take “immediate action” on the Children’s Health Insurance Program. While CHIP is authorized to operate through Oct. 1, 2019, legislative action is needed to continue funding the program, which expired Sept. 30. “CHIP is a Congressional success story to be celebrated – with the un-insurance rate for children age 18 and younger across the country dropping from 14.9% to 4.8% since first enacted,” NGA leaders wrote.

The House today voted 242-174 to approve the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act of 2017 (H.R. 3922), legislation that includes a five-year extension of funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program and two years of relief from Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment cuts.

The Health Resources and Services Administration this week awarded $285 million to 58 children’s hospitals through its Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education payment program in fiscal year 2017. “CHGME funding enables hospitals to train pediatric residents to meet the needs of our youngest patients, especially vulnerable and underserved children,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently published frequently asked questions on the implementation of its final rule applying certain provisions of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 to Medicaid managed care organizations, Medicaid alternative benefit plans and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The Senate Finance Committee today approved by voice vote legislation to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program through fiscal year 2022. Under the KIDS Act (S. 1827), the program’s federal matching rate would remain at 23% through FY 2019, change to 11.5% for FY 2020 and return to a traditional CHIP matching rate for FYs 2021 and 2022.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) last night unveiled a bill to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program through fiscal year 2022, modify reductions in Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals and provide $1 billion in Medicaid funding to Puerto Rico.

Benjamin Van Voorhees, M.D., the University of Illinois Medical Center’s chief of general pediatrics, is teaching children coping skills through a combination of online learning and traditional counseling. He hopes a technology-based “behavioral vaccine” can reduce the risk of mental illness for a diverse group of young people, from teens struggling with issues of sexuality to those living in neighborhoods mired in violence.