TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all necessary agreements, and any subsequent amendments, with the State of California Department of Public Health, in an amount not to exceed $935,575 for the period of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, for the Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Black Infant Health Programs. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On October 6, 2015, the City Council authorized an agreement with the CDPH to accept funding in the amount of $682,189 for the period of July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 to implement the MCAH and BIH Programs. The Long Beach Health and Human Services Department (Health Department) will continue program activities that promote healthy pregnancy and birth outcomes among low-income individuals and families.
Local public health jurisdictions receive block grants from the CDPH to ensure access to quality health care services for pregnant women and children; provide linkages to preventive and primary care services for children and youth; and deliver family-centered, community-based comprehensive health education to address community concerns.
Each year over 500,000 women give birth in California. Although most pregnancies are healthy, many women and infants face challenges in reaching optimal health. Rates of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality have steadily improved in Long Beach over the last ten years. The MCAH and BIH Programs are critical public health programs that contribute to positive health outcomes for women, infants and children.
The BIH Program seeks to reduce maternal and infant health disparities affecting African-American women and babies. African-American babies are twice as likely to be born with a low birth weight (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces) than infants of other racial or ethnic groups and African-American babies are more than one and a half times more likely to be born prematurely than white babies. Also, African-American women are four times more likel...
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