Lehigh Valley area health council receives maternal health grant

Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc. is one of four applicants receiving Regional Maternal Health Coalition Grants, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced.  

The grants are aimed at helping improve care for pregnant women and babies by addressing maternal health issues at the local level through the creation and enhancement of regional coalitions. Funded by the Shapiro Administration, the grants support organizations that implement recommendations from the 2024 Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee report to improve maternal health across the state.  

“Pregnancy-associated deaths occur far too often, especially among Black women,” Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said in a statement. “The creation of regional coalitions specifically focused on addressing the root causes of pregnancy-associated illness and death in their own communities is critical to improving outcomes. The Shapiro-Davis Administration is committed to supporting community-level response to ensure that every family across the commonwealth can thrive and live to their fullest potential.” 

Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc. has locations in Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, and Northampton counties. 

Applicants were selected through a competitive process that included evaluation of soundness of approach, personnel qualifications, applicant qualifications, and understanding of the project. Selected applicants will undergo a contract negotiation process to finalize a budget and statement of work.  

The selected applicants represent four regions across Pennsylvania:  

• Northeast: Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc.  

• Central: Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, Inc.  

• Southeast: Maternity Care Coalition.  

• South Central: Pennsylvania State University.  

Each coalition will collect and analyze data in its region to determine factors that contribute to maternal mortality and morbidity. The collected data will be used to determine which MMRC recommendations will improve maternal health for women and babies in their region.  

The Department of Health’s new Division of Maternal Health Services will support the administration of the MMRC and the implementation of grant funding. 

Funding for the grants comes from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s state budget proposals in his first two years to address and prevent maternal mortality, especially among Black mothers, who are nearly two times more likely to die during pregnancy or in the first year after a pregnancy than white women. The budget includes an extra $2.6 million to continue capacity-building to enhance prenatal care, promote maternal health education, and address racial disparities.