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Advocates warn FY26 cuts could shrink home visiting and perinatal programs
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Summary
Children's Law Center, home visiting staff and health providers told the Committee on Health that proposed FY26 changes to DC Health's Community Health Services may zero out some perinatal funding and reduce local home visiting grants, risking staff layoffs and family discharges.
Advocates for families and maternal health testified on June 6 that the mayor's FY26 DC Health proposal contains funding moves and cuts that could reduce home visiting capacity and perinatal services.
Leah Kaslas of the Children's Law Center said the FY26 proposal transfers the Healthy Housing program into DC Health but also includes "a zeroing out of the perinatal and infant health and a $2,100,000 cut to family health." She said figures are difficult to interpret because reorganization and agency crosswalks have not been published.
Home visiting providers described possible deep reductions. Fernandez Ruiz, home visiting director at Mary's Center, said DC Health plans an RFA for FY26 that would fund three awards at $350,000 each and would represent a roughly $1,100,000 (about 80 percent) reduction for some currently funded programs. Ruiz said that reduction would force termination of roughly 16 staff and discharge of about 82 families; she attributed part of current undercapacity to turnover linked to low pay and funding instability.
Monica Reyes, a family support worker at Mary's Center, testified on program impacts from a front-line perspective and said home visiting is often the first point of contact that connects families with housing, WIC, developmental supports and other services. "Continued funding is not necessary. It's vital," Reyes said, adding that cuts raise the risk of losing families the programs serve.
Community of Hope said grants to preterm-birth reduction, Parents as Teachers home visiting, and HealthySteps are central to its perinatal and early-childhood work. Victoria Roberts, vice president of health services at Community of Hope, said the Centering Pregnancy program supported by a three-year DC Health grant has a preterm birth rate for participants of 8.7 percent, lower than the District average of 10.8 percent.
Justin Palmer of the District of Columbia Hospital Association urged preserving investments that target maternal and infant outcomes and noted the Count the Kicks campaign and Perinatal Quality Collaborative materials that are rolling out. "Continuing to meet the workforce needs of the health sector is critically important," Palmer said, recommending loan repayment and licensure streamlining measures tied to workforce stability.
Chair Christina Henderson said the committee will press DC Health for budget crosswalks that clarify whether reductions reflect line-item moves within the agency or actual cutbacks, and she asked for documentation that ties requested dollars to numbers served.
Ending: Witnesses asked the Committee to preserve home visiting and perinatal grants in FY26 and to work with DC Health to clarify program budgets and staffing implications before final budget actions.
