The Bureau of Maternal and Child Health supports the Health Department's mission to reduce illness, disability, and death among women of childbearing ages, children, and youth in the State. The Bureau identifies health concerns, prioritizes strategies to address needs, develops programs, coordinates efforts, and develops resources to address health issues for mothers and children. The Bureau is responsible for the State's Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Annual Application and Report.
The following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:
The Bureau of Maternal and Child Health provides leadership for many maternal and child health efforts in the State through its programs, contracts with local health departments and other entities, federal grant opportunities, and involvement at a national level to learn from other states about programs to apply in Utah. The Bureau is responsible for most maternal and child health issues, such as promotion of health among women of childbearing ages, health prior to pregnancy to promote healthy mothers and babies, access to health care before and during pregnancy, healthy weight and nutrition, oral health, and promotion of healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding by providing information on the potential impact of exposures to medications, chemicals, and infectious agents. Additionally, the programs promote healthy children and adolescents through oral health, healthy weight, and nutrition. The Bureau conducts surveillance and analysis of data related to pregnancy and factors associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, such as prematurity. The Bureau reviews maternal, fetal, and infant deaths. The information is used to identify factors that relate to prevention of poor outcomes and future deaths. The Bureau conducts surveillance and analysis of data related to children's health, such as dental screenings for young school-aged children to determine the degree of dental disease, or parents' experiences with health care for their children.
The Bureau includes six programs that work to achieve the Bureau's goal of healthy mothers and children: Maternal and Infant Health, Data Resources, Oral Health, Pregnancy RiskLine, and the Women, Infants and Children Programs (WIC). The Bureau is responsible for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, the WIC Program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
Maternal and Infant Health
The mission of the Maternal and Infant Health Program is to improve the health of women of childbearing age and their infants by reducing preventable illness, disability, and death related to pregnancy, birth, and infancy through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and optimal health care. The various components of the Maternal and Infant Health Program include Prenatal/Family Planning, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), and the Perinatal Mortality Review component. The program creates and disseminates pertinent health education messages based on information identified through the program's various data collection resources. These messages go in an Internet website (www.health.utah.gov/mihp), brochures, television, radio, poster displays and presentations at schools, churches, and health fairs.
The program is guided by a strategic plan that includes nine outcome objectives:
- Reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
- Increase percentage of women accessing quality early and adequate prenatal care.
- Decrease maternal death rates and morbidity.
- Reduce percentage of infants born before the 37th week of pregnancy and/or weighing less than 5 pounds and 9 ounces.
- Decrease fetal and neonatal deaths.
- Increase the percentage of women who initiate and continue to breast-feed their infants through the first year of life.
- Increase the recognition and treatment of depression among women of childbearing age in Utah.
- Increase the proportion of women who practice healthy behaviors before becoming pregnant.
- Decrease the prevalence of intimate partner violence during the perinatal time period.
The prenatal component of the program seeks to improve access to prenatal care through expedited eligibility to Medicaid, enhanced prenatal and delivery services within Medicaid, and by covering prenatal care for uninsured women. The family planning component assures access to family planning services in underserved areas of the State. It also assures reproductive health services through technical assistance and contracts with local health departments, community health centers, and other providers.
The Perinatal Mortality Review component of the program is a process aimed at identifying and examining the factors that contribute to perinatal deaths (fetal, infant, and maternal) through the systematic evaluation of individual cases. Through individual case review, the Perinatal Mortality Review coordinator, in conjunction with a committee of perinatal professionals, identifies contributing factors that may have led to the death. Information is obtained through hospital records, public health records, autopsy reports, birth/death certificates and health care provider records. Committee members make recommendations based on findings that may lead to public health recommendations for changes that could improve the outcome of future cases.
The Perinatal Mortality Review component of the program is a process aimed at identifying and examining the factors that contribute to perinatal deaths (fetal, infant, and maternal) through the systematic evaluation of individual cases. Through individual case review, the Perinatal Mortality Review coordinator, in conjunction with a committee of perinatal professionals, identifies contributing factors that may have led to the death. Information is obtained through hospital records, public health records, autopsy reports, birth/death certificates and health care provider records. Committee members make recommendations based on findings that may lead to public health recommendations for changes that could improve the outcome of future cases.
The Data Resources Program provides health data and information support to programs within Maternal and Child Health and Children with Special Health Care Needs programs, local health departments, community-based health organizations, and the public. The program is two-pronged in its approach as it aims to (1) increase access to health information and data, and (2) provide analytic consultation and data training.
The Data Resources Program acts as a resource for Maternal and Child Health and Children with Special Health Care Needs programs and provides expertise on research methodology, database design, survey development, and grant applications. The program also facilitates the coordination of multi-program projects and reports. The program also plays an active role in designing website and web-based applications for the Division of Family Health and Preparedness and ensures that they are in compliance with Health Department and State web standards.
The Data Resources Program collaborates with programs to publish surveillance updates and research reports. An important responsibility of the Data Resources Program is to provide coordination, compilation, and submission of the Federal Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Application.
The Oral Health Program tries to improve the oral health status of Utah residents by developing, implementing, and promoting prevention and dental access programs at both the State and local levels. The Oral Health Program strives to prevent dental caries by community water fluoridation, fluoride mouth rinse programs, tooth sealant programs, and early childhood interventions. The evaluation and dissemination of statewide dental health surveys, Head Start data, and other Utah-specific dental health information by Oral Health Program provide needs assessment information for the State, local health departments, and dental societies in the State. The program works with the Utah Dental Association and the Utah Dental Hygiene Association to promote the role of public health in promoting good oral health.
In collaboration with the Utah Oral Health Coalition, the Oral Health Program has developed and maintains the Utah Oral Health Action Plan, which emphasizes implementation of appropriate prevention and access strategies for target populations and promotes development of policies for better oral health and improved oral health systems statewide. Additionally, the Oral Health Program encourages and facilitates the formation of local oral health coalitions by conducting needs assessments and oral health surveys, providing technical consultation, and reporting progress toward Healthy People 2020 oral health objectives. The Oral Health Program collaborates with local health departments and community health centers and partners with many community public health and private practice dental and health professionals, stakeholders, and advocates to implement programs which serve the needs of local communities. The Oral Health Program has developed and maintains an oral health website that provides educational and resource information for public and private partners as well as the general population of the State.
The Pregnancy RiskLine provides information regarding exposure to drugs, chemicals, and infections in pregnancy and lactation and the possible effect on the developing fetus, breast-fed, infant and mother. The Pregnancy RiskLine was established to provide health care practitioners and consumers with accurate, up-to-date information regarding potential risks to a fetus or breast-fed infant in order to prevent unjustified anxiety leading to unnecessary abortions, costly prenatal and postnatal screening, diagnostics, and testing of an exposed fetus or infant.
The program's major goals are the prevention of poor pregnancy outcomes and adverse health effects in children. The desired outcomes include the prevention of low birth weight, infant mortality, and birth defects.
By offering accurate and current information about fetal effects of maternal exposure to medications, drugs, chemicals, infections and diseases, the Pregnancy RiskLine may prevent untoward effects of some of these agents on a developing fetus, resulting in a decreased incidence of low birth weight, infant mortality, and birth defects.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a federally-funded program designed to provide supplemental food and nutritional education to pregnant, breast-feeding or postpartum women, infants and children up to five years of age. The federal funds come from the United States Department of Agriculture.
WIC authorized foods has the following eligibility criteria:
- A resident of Utah and a member of the population served by the 49 local clinics.
- Income at or below 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
- Certified to be at nutritional need through a medical and/or nutritional assessment.
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Commodity Supplemental Food Program is a federally funded program designed to provide supplemental food and nutritional education to seniors over 60. The program is not available statewide. The program is in the following counties: Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Carbon, Emery, and Grand. Seniors must have incomes under 130% of the Federal Poverty Level in order to qualify.
Effective FY 2011 the Immunization Program is now part of the Epidemiology Program within the Disease Control and Prevention line item. Immunization was previously part of the Maternal and Child Health Program.
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.