Boost for Title V MCH Block Grant included in FY18 Appropriations Bill
On March 23, President Trump signed the fiscal year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill, which provides funding for the federal government through the remainder of FY18. AMCHP is pleased to share that the bill included a $10 million increase for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant over the FY17 level. The bill text can be found here, (details regarding maternal and child health begin on page 368), while the report language can be found here (details on maternal and child health begin on page 7 with spending tables on page 96). For a summary of funding details for key MCH programs in the omnibus appropriations bill, see AMCHP's Legislative Alert from March 22.

FY19 Appropriations Advocacy
AMCHP is advocating in support of increased funding for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant in fiscal year 2019. The president's budget proposal for FY19 recommended cutting funding for the program by $23.7 million compared with the Block Grant's current enacted funding level. In response, AMCHP has organized a coalition of more than 70 national organizations and academic centers in sending a letter to congressional appropriators to advocate for increased funding for the Block Grant and to express concern regarding the president's budget proposal. In addition, AMCHP's Public Policy and Government Affairs staff are submitting formal appropriations requests and meeting with congressional offices on the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to make the case for a funding increase and to emphasize the importance of the Block Grant.

Comments on PRGLAC
AMCHP recently submitted comments in response to a National Institutes of Health request for information regarding the federal Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women (PRGLAC). AMCHP's comments focused on strategies for communicating with pregnant and lactating women, their partners, and their health care providers when new clinical or practice guidelines are released.

New CDC Director
President Trump appointed Dr. Robert Redfield, Jr., to be the new director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Dr. Redfield began his new post on March 23. In an email to CDC staff on his first day, Dr. Redfield said, "CDC is the best science-based, data-driven service center in the world." In his first address to CDC employees on March 27, Dr. Redfield similarly emphasized the importance of science, data, and evidence-based policymaking and public health practice. Dr. Redfield is a long-time AIDS researcher who co-founded the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Get up to Date on Federal MCH Policy
The next event in the All-Member National MCH Policy Call series will take place Thursday, April 5, from 2-3 p.m. ET.