What is the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant?
Title V of the Social Security Act of 1935 established the MCH Services Block Grant. It is designed to assist states in their efforts to promote and improve the health and well-being of mothers, children, including children with special health care needs, and their families. State maternal and child health agencies, which are usually located within a state health department, apply annually for Title V funding. The legislation also requires states to submit an Annual Report and to complete a statewide, comprehensive needs assessment every five years.
In South Dakota, the MCH Block Grant is administered through the Office of Child and Family Services, within the South Dakota Department of Health. States have flexibility in how Title V funds are used to support a wide range of activities that address state and national needs. To utilize funds to better serve South Dakota, the SD DOH along with over 100 partners took part in a 5 year needs assessment. The needs assessment was guided by principles that supported a comprehensive and inclusive process that engaged multi-sector partners, families, and individuals from across the state through data collection and information gathering approaches.
2021-2025 MCH Priorities
The following priority needs identified for the South Dakota MCH block grant were based on the five-year needs assessment completed for FY 2021-2025 MCH Block Grant cycle. The priority needs cross the five population domains – Women/Maternal Health, Perinatal/Infant Health, Child Health, Adolescent Health, Children with Special Health Care Needs, with a sixth priority need that falls into the Cross-Cutting & Systems Building domain area. These priority areas are listed below.
- Women's Mental Health and Substance Misuse
- Infant Safe Sleep
- Parenting Education and Support
- Adolescent Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
- Healthy Relationships
- Access to Care and Services
- Data Sharing and Collaboration
MCH State Action Plan Table
The Office of Child and Family Services in collaboration with other state partners has developed the below action plan which is intended to serve as a planning tool to use in identifying key strategies, objectives, and relevant performance measures to align with the selected priority needs identified during our 5 year needs assessment. This plan is organized by the five MCH population health domains - women/maternal health, perinatal/infant health, child health, children and youth with special health care needs, and adolescent health.