Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Healthy and Safe Communities section seeks $2 million for maternal services, highlights WIC, loan‑repayment and domestic‑violence proposals
Summary
The section director described a $2 million general‑fund request to expand maternal and postpartum services, a $2.25 million Community Health Trust Fund decision package for domestic violence and sexual assault programs, WIC and newborn screening updates, and the state loan‑repayment programs thatRecruit and retain clinicians in shortage areas.
Kim Mertz, director of the Healthy and Safe Communities section, presented program updates and budget requests to the House Appropriations Human Resources Subcommittee, including a $2 million general‑fund proposal to expand maternal and postpartum services and a $2.25 million request from the Community Health Trust Fund to strengthen domestic violence and sexual assault services statewide.
Why it matters: Maternal and child health indicators and social‑service supports are central to early‑life outcomes. Lawmakers asked for data on prenatal care access, breastfeeding disparities and program capacity while the department explained how targeted state investments would be used.
Mertz said the department's maternal and child health performance measures show weaknesses: 80 percent of women received adequate prenatal care (defined as care within the first four months), but other…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
