Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant
Related MDH Links
Title V 2020 Needs Assessment
The Division of Child and Family Health (CFH) in partnership with stakeholders conducted a comprehensive assessment of the health and well-being of Minnesota's maternal and child health populations – including women, mothers, fathers, caregivers, children and youth (including those with special health needs), families, and communities.
Through this work, the following eleven priority areas were identified:
- Access to Services and Supports for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs: Ensuring all kids and families have what they need to thrive.
- Accessible and Affordable Health Care: Comprehensive, quality health care services, including Family Planning, that are available and affordable for all.
- Adolescent Suicide: Reducing the number of youth who take their own life.
- American Indian Family Health: Reducing disparities and supporting the well-being of American Indian families.
- Boys and Young Men: Protecting and promoting the physical, mental, and emotional health among people who identify as male.
- Care during Pregnancy and Delivery: Increasing accessible, quality health care during pregnancy and delivery.
- Comprehensive Early Childhood Systems: Ensuring Minnesota has inclusive systems that link young children and their families to all the support and services they need.
- Housing: Increasing safe, affordable, stable housing for all people living in Minnesota.
- Infant Mortality: Reducing the number of infants that die before their first birthday.
- Mental Well-Being: Ensuring all people living in Minnesota have the opportunity and skills to manage day-to-day stress, have meaningful relationships and contribute to their family and community. Including building resilience in those who experience childhood trauma.
- Parent and Caregiver Support: Supporting parents and caregivers socially and emotionally with family-focused activities, policies, and education.
For more information on the Needs Assessment process and outcomes see Minnesota’s 2020 Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Needs Assessment – Methods and Findings (PDF). For more information about the status of each of the priority areas in Minnesota, see the Priority Briefs and Data Stories.
Overview
Every five years the Minnesota Department of Health is asked to complete a comprehensive assessment of the health of children, mothers, and families in the state, in order to fulfill a requirement of the Title V Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Block Grant. The charge of this assessment is to review the health needs for the entire state, not just for areas under the direction of the Block Grant. The results of the needs assessment are used to identify statewide priorities.
The focus of the health assessment is on:
- Women, Pregnant Women, and Mothers
- Infants
- Children
- Adolescents
- Children and Youth with Special Health Needs
- Communities and Families, including Fathers
How the needs assessment was completed
The Division of Child and Family Health used a mixed method approach to conduct the needs assessment. In conducting needs assessment activities, the Needs Assessment Team operated from a trauma-informed intersectional framework that aimed to advance health and racial equity and acknowledge the strengths of our state’s communities.
For more information see our Minnesota's 2020 Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Needs Assessment – Methods and Findings (PDF).
Materials to Share
During the summer of 2018, nearly 2,800 people responded to a Discovery Survey to share their thoughts on the greatest unmet needs of women, children and families in their communities, along with what they need to thrive and live their best lives. Results of our Discovery Survey can be found in the webinar below.
- Title V Maternal & Child Health Needs Assessment Discovery Survey Results Presentation (PPT)
- Title V Maternal & Child Health Needs Assessment Discovery Survey Results Webinar Transcript (PDF)
All of the information collected during 2018 and 2019 was used to identify candidate priorities and to develop 40 data stories and data placemats which were used during prioritization exercises with the Maternal and Child Health Advisory Task Force, Minnesota Department of Health staff, and community during the summer of 2019.
Multiple toolkits with materials that were developed during Minnesota’s needs assessment process have been created to share information with other states and organizations who are conducting needs assessments.
- Primary Data Collection Toolkit (PDF)
- Data Stories and Placemats Toolkit (PDF)
- Prioritization Toolkit (PDF)
- Trauma-Informed and Intersectional Approaches Toolkit (PDF)
A process evaluation of Minnesota’s needs assessment work is underway. The evaluation aims to identify opportunities to advance trauma-informed, intersectional maternal and child health research and evaluation. A guiding document was created and is shared here. Please note this document is a technical document to inform evaluation. Intersectionality and Trauma-Informed Applications for Maternal and Child Health Research and Evaluation: An Initial Summary of the Literature (PDF)
Child and Family Health 2020 Title V Strategic Planning
The Child and Family Health Division at the Minnesota Department of Health implemented a community-focused process for setting and implementing strategies to be incorporated into a statewide strategic plan that will guide work on improving Maternal and Child Health systems in 2020-2025.
Strategic Planning Vision
Improve outcomes and equity for Minnesota's children, women, families, and communities through authentic partnerships and shared decision-making.
Strategic Planning Process
The Child and Family Health Division acknowledges that in order to advance Maternal and Child Health outcomes and equity, we need to work together in authentic, collaborative, and innovative ways. This is the only way that we will be able to "move the needle" in reducing the disparities in our communities. Community engagement was a core construct in our 2020 needs assessment and strategic planning process.
For more information on the process we used to guide our strategic planning, see our Strategic Planning Methods.
During November 2019 - March 2020, MDH implemented a community-focused process, using 11 strategy teams to develop strategies to address the priority needs identified through the needs assessment. The following strategies were developed:
Priority: Care During Pregnancy and Delivery
Strategies:
- Expand family-focused, community-based policy and funding.
- Integrate health and social services to optimize cross-sector collaboration.
- Strengthen and expand culturally responsive, trauma-informed care for women of childbearing age.
Priority: Infant Mortality
Strategies:
- Apply culturally specific, community-based best practices.
- Improve data collection and evaluation.
- Facilitating policy and systems changes to reduce infant mortality.
Priority: Comprehensive Early Childhood Systems
Strategies:
- Coordinate access to comprehensive, family-centered early childhood service.
- Maximize and increase funding to support statewide programs that service families who are pregnant and parenting young children.
Priority: Adolescent Suicide
Strategies:
- Empower youth, young adults, families, and communities to meaningfully engage in creating solutions to prevent suicide.
- Expand and improve postvention supports.
- Reduce access to lethal means.
Priority: Access to Services and Supports for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs
Strategies:
- Enhance centralized resources to improve knowledge of services and supports.
- Build the capacity of communities by cultivating knowledge and improving collaboration.
- Construct a competent and well-compensated workforce.
Priority: Accessible and Affordable Health Care
Strategies:
- Recognize and reduce systemic racism, discrimination, and marginalization in health care.
- Expand access to health care by increasing availability of community-based and remote services.
- Improve the quality of health care by promoting person and family-centered practices.
Priority: American Indian Family Health
Strategies:
- Increase access to culturally specific health services.
- Mandate cultural proficiency, as defined by the community.
- Shift power and polices to address structural racism.
Priority: Housing
Strategies:
- Expand funding opportunities.
- Implement person-centered approaches and services.
- Create and innovate housing options.
Priority: Mental Well-Being
Strategies:
- Help communities build capacity and resilience.
- Implement a public health communications campaign on mental well-being across the life span.
- Advocate for legislative policies that promote mental well-being.
Priority: Parent and Caregiver Support
Strategies:
- Advocate for the redesign of a network of policies and programs to better support families.
- Build the capacity of health professionals to help improve the mental health, well-being, and resilience of families.
- Build supports for multifaceted ways for parents/caregivers to connect with one another.
In Spring 2020, MDH used the strategies developed and input from the community-focused process to develop an internal action plan, which also serves as the strategic plan for the Child and Family Health Division through 2025.