State and local public health agencies have struggled to define their roles in a vastly changing health care environment and have taken varied paths to carve out their futures. Annual data now reported through the MCH Services Block Grant may shed some light on these changing roles. MCH agencies were asked to report FY97 expenditure data by source and by the four types of core public health services that they provide: 1) direct health care; 2) enabling; 3) population-based; and 4) infrastructure building. By examining these data, a baseline for MCH public health program allocations can be determined. Federal funds made up 19% of the $2.8 billion FY97 MCH partnership expenditures, ranging from 5% to 60% among states. State funds were 49% of the total and ranged from 11% to 89%; local funds were 9% of the total and ranged from 0% to 41%. Clearly states are leveraging resources quite differently. Mean expenditures on direct health care were 45%, ranging from 2% to 91%. Mean enabling services were 21%, population based services were 13% and infrastructure services were 21% of expenditures. Expected regional variations were found in the percentage of MCH partnership dollars that states expended on direct health care services, with South and West South Central states spending more on direct health care services. Baseline data for FY97 MCH Partnership expenditures is now available. Data can soon be compared across years to determine if public health agencies are moving away from providing direct health services to infrastructure building services.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session the participant (learner) will be able to: 1. Discuss the sources of the Federal-State Title V Block Grant Partnership Budget. 2. Describe how changes to the Title V block grant financial reporting requirements provide data which enable us to track changes in maternal and child public health agency services
Keywords: Public Health Agency Roles, Maternal and Child Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.