Skip to main content


U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government
              Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you knowDot gov**Official websites use .gov**
                 A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
                  HTTPS**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                 A **lock** (A locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
  Menu Close
          HHS Search block
    Search
        








  
  
    

  
      

                                      About HHS
    
                        
                              
      
      
      Programs & Services
    
                        
                              
      
      
      Grants & Contracts
    
                        
                              
      
      
      Laws & Regulations Breadcrumb
    Home
                              About
                              News
                              HHS Announces Over $65 Million to Address the Maternal Health Crisis and Invest in New Approaches to Care
 Navigate to:
  News
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      Blog
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      HHS Live
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      Podcasts
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      Media Guidelines for HHS EmployeesText resize icon

                    




**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 19, 2023**

        **Contact: 
                                    HHS Press Office**
          202-690-6343media@hhs.gov

          HHS Announces Over $65 Million to Address the Maternal Health Crisis and Invest in New Approaches to Care
    
    

      *Funds will support health centers in medically underserved and rural communities to improve maternal health as part of the White House Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis*

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded more than $65 million to 35 HRSA-funded health centers to address the maternal mortality crisis. Our country’s maternal mortality rate is the highest of any developed nation in the world and more than double the rate of peer countries. HRSA’s funds will be used to implement innovative approaches to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce disparities for patients at highest risk. Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than White women. Today’s announcement supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint, a whole-of-government strategy aimed at improving maternal health, particularly in underserved communities.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is taking significant steps to address our country’s maternal health crisis,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “This support for HRSA-funded health centers will help ensure healthier pregnancy and postpartum outcomes for all and help address health disparities among women of color and women in rural and medically underserved areas.”

“We need bold solutions that recognize and respond to the unacceptable disparities in maternal health outcomes in this country,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “Through this new funding, health centers will be able to tailor their response to the needs of their patients and communities and take action to save lives.”

Health centers are local organizations that provide comprehensive, high-quality primary health care services tailored to their communities regardless of their patients’ ability to pay. HRSA’s Health Center Program is a cornerstone of our country’s health care system, especially for individuals and families who are uninsured; enrolled in Medicaid; living in rural, remote, or underserved areas; struggling to afford their health insurance co-pays; experiencing homelessness; residing in public housing; or otherwise having difficulty finding a doctor or paying for the cost of care. Today, the approximately 1,400 HRSA-funded health centers operate nearly 15,000 service sites.

HRSA-funded health centers provide essential prenatal care to nearly 550,000 people a year in communities at higher risk of pregnancy-related deaths and health center providers deliver more than 160,000 babies annually. Health centers will use today’s funding to develop patient-centered models of care delivery that address the clinical and health-related social needs of their patients at highest risk of maternal morbidity and mortality. Innovative approaches that will be supported by this funding include offering bilingual doula services, leveraging health technology to reach rural patients, and providing culturally aware mental and behavioral health care for pregnant women and their families.

Today’s funding supporting maternal health care through health centers is part of HRSA’s comprehensive work to support maternal health and reduce disparities in maternal and birth outcomes, which includes support not only to health centers but also to other HRSA-supported programs carried out by states, community-based organizations, and training programs, such as:

**HRSA-supported****Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Patient Safety Bundles** that are setting the standard for improving maternal care processes and patient outcomes in hospitals and other delivery settings across the country;
	**HRSA’s****Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program** that is building networks in rural communities to strengthen pre-natal, delivery and post-pregnancy support services;
	**HRSA-funded****State Maternal Health Innovation Programs** that are directly supporting states to address the disparities in maternal health outcomes by building state coalitions of diverse stakeholders to inform state action, improving the collection and use of maternal health data, and launching new service delivery activities such as the use of mobile vans in remote regions and creating a course for how to treat mothers with substance use disorder respectfully and effectively;
	**HRSA’s Maternal Health Workforce Programs** that are training new certified nurse midwives, training more community-based doulas, providing loan repayment incentives for nurses to practice in high-need communities, and building and deploying metrics identifying the areas with the greatest maternal health workforce needs;
	**HRSA’s****Maternal Mental Health Hotline**: 1-833-TLC-MAMA that offers direct, confidential emotional and mental health support to pregnant women and new parents 24/7 in English and Spanish provided by trained counselors; and
	**HRSA’s****Screening and Treatment for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Program** that is providing training for OB/GYNs, Certified Nurse Midwives and other maternal care providers to support the mental health needs of their patients and providing tele-consultation options to get real-time support from mental health experts in managing their cases.For a detailed breakdown of today’s Health Center Program awards, visit https://bphc.hrsa.gov/funding/funding-opportunities/quality-improvement-fund-maternal-health/fy2023-awards.

To locate a HRSA-supported health center, visit: https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/.
  

    ###
    Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news.Like HHS on Facebook, follow HHS on Twitter @HHSgov, and sign up for HHS Email Updates.Last revised: May 19, 2023

  
  
  







  Sign Up for Email Updates

Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases

Sign Up







  Subscribe to RSS
    

      Receive latest updates







  Related News Releases
    

      Biden-Harris Administration Awards Nearly $9 Million to Improve Access to Cancer Screening and Connections to Follow-up Treatment in Underserved Communities to Deliver on Biden Cancer Moonshot Goals
  

Biden-Harris Administration Announces More Than $68 Million to Improve Access to HIV Care for Women, Infants, Children and Youth
  

HHS, Treasury, and Interior Departments and the Executive Office of the President Aim to Reduce Administrative Burden for Tribal Grant Recipients







  Related Blog Posts
    

      Upholding Research Integrity at HHS

                    
  


Media Inquiries

For general media inquiries, please contact media@hhs.gov.







  Content created by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA) Content last reviewed May 19, 2023 Back to top
    Contact HHS
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Careers
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      HHS FAQs
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Nondiscrimination NoticeHHS Archive
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Accessibility Statement
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Privacy Policy
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Viewers & PlayersBudget/Performance
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Inspector General
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Web Site Disclaimers
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      EEO/No Fear ActFOIA
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      The White House
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      USA.gov
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
        Sign Up for Email Updates

Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases.

Sign Up
  HHS Headquarters
          200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
                  Washington, D.C. 20201
                  Toll Free Call Center: 1-877-696-6775​ Disclaimer Policy: Links with this icon () mean that you are leaving the HHS website. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot guarantee the accuracy of a non-federal website.
                  Linking to a non-federal website does not mean that HHS or its employees endorse the sponsors, information, or products presented on the website. HHS links outside of itself to provide you with further information.
                  You will be bound by the destination website's privacy policy and/or terms of service when you follow the link.
                  HHS is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on private websites. For more information on HHS's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.
 Continue
                  Go back