Maternal and Child Health

Maternal and Child Health

The Maternal and Child Health Section is Tennessee’s Title V agency, funded in part through the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant of the Health Resources Services Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The Maternal and Child Health Section is part of the Tennessee Department of Health’s Division of Family Health and Wellness.

MCH Services

They are provided at a variety of levels corresponding to the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Pyramid model.

MCH Services

The service levels are outlined below:

  • At the top of the pyramid are Direct Services.
    • Actual services provided directly to children and families, usually in the setting of a clinic or hospital.
    • (ex. CSS coverage of medical services for children with special health care needs).
  • Enabling services help people access services (ex. CSS case management services)
  • Population-based services are provided on a large scale, usually without cost.
    • MCH examples would include the lead poisoning prevention program and Newborn Screening.
  • Infrastructure-building services lay the foundation for other services.
    • Examples of this type of service include training death scene investigators on how to examine suspected SIDS cases or
    • Performing child fatality review to collect local data that informs public health programming. 

MCH Funding Allocation

According to the statutory requirements outlined in Title V, states must spend at least 30% of MCH Block Grant funds on children with special health care needs, 30% on preventive and primary care for children, and no more than 10% for administrative costs.