Introduction and Program Definition
This is a state and federal program whose objective is to better the health of women, children, youth, and entire families and communities, while paying emphases on health inequities and the systems and policies that contribute to family health (Handler, 2015). This program focuses on issues which affect women of child bearing age, children, adolescents, as well children with special health care needs (Handler, 2015). Maternal and Child programs work to address health promotion issues across the lifespan of individuals and families. It is noted that if emphasis on proper health care is placed on preconception, pregnancy and early childhood, the nation is along a path for lifelong wellness. These include preventive health care and prenatal health practices to help mothers find appreciate care during pregnancy. This care can include health practices before, during and after pregnancy, improvement in diet, cessation from alcohol, tobacco and illegal substances. This program also improves and provides health awareness of specific child development milestones and behaviors, as well as economic self- sufficiency programs among women (Fraser. 2012). Good structuring of public maternal and child programs can preserve, protect and promote children’s health and well-being and build a foundation for lifelong health and learning.
How Addressed By ACA
The Affordable Care Act is very much in support of the public maternal and children program
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutritional Services is a federal program that provides health care and proper nutrition to low income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women during a crucial time for both mothers and babies. The mission of WIC is to “safeguard the health of low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating, and referrals to health care.” (Food and Nutrition Service, 2010).
The problems at hand that the SIMARRA Act bill is proposing to address, involves child welfare issues, women’s health concerns, and a lack of protection and healthcare needs for these women and their unborn children within the criminal justice system. According to the bill, it has been propositioned to enhance the welfare and public health for incarcerated pregnant women and mothers by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Federal prison system, by establishing a pilot program of critical-stage, developmental nurseries in Federal prisons for children born to inmates, with risk needs assessments, and risk and recidivism reduction (H.R.5130, 2016). The bill is intended to focus and alleviate the lack thereof adequate care, stress, and hazardous health practices that incarcerated mothers are experiencing with their infant babies, while also monitoring the health of these women. Both the mothers and infants are affected in these situations because the health of the mother has substantial
It should be noted that these services vary according to population needs, with some studies even indicating that services vary based on the racial background of the participants (Evans, Labbok, & Abrahams 2011). This should be a cause for concern, and discrepancies in services provided must be avoided to limit further disparities. Data from the Centers for Disease Control (2016) found that in 2010, the rates for breastfeeding initiation was 74% for Native American women, which was lower than other groups. In order to better combat breastfeeding disparities, the WIC program continues to tailor their breastfeeding support services to achieve the Healthy People 2020 goals by increasing the number of trained staff, holding community involvement sessions, and constructing additional educational components.
Care for pregnant women is even more dismal, considering their additional health needs” (p. 11). The quantitative report goes on to state that many pregnant offenders have undiagnosed or untreated conditions that can increase the pregnancy risks and contribute to poor birth outcomes. Mothers Behind Bars surveyed all 50 states regarding prenatal care and found: 43 states did not require medical examinations as a component of prenatal care; 41 states did not require prenatal nutrition counseling or the provision of appropriate nutrition; 34 states did not require screening and treatment for high-risk pregnancies; 48 states did not offer advice on activity levels and safety during pregnancy; 45 states did not make advance arrangements for deliveries with particular hospitals; and 49 states failed to report all incarcerated women’s pregnancies and their outcomes (The Rebecca Project for Human Rights and the National Women's Law Center, 2010). Researchers did not list under limitations of their findings if obstetric care was provided inside or contracted to an outside care provider. This information would have been beneficial and may have affected the state’s responses to the survey questions. Ferszt and Clarke (2012) conducted a qualitative survey of 50 wardens, a warden at a women’s correctional
The limits of this proposal will encompass women between the ages of 18-64 living in the El Paso area. Language in legislation restricting reproductive health care is specifically targeted at women, so they will be the focus of this study. The Texas “Healthy Texas Women” Program defines women of reproductive age as women 18-64 (Texas Health and Human Services, n.d.). This standard will be used because “Healthy Texas Women” is the state Medicaid Program for women’s health, and was greatly impacted by funding cuts (White et al., 2012). The services provided by “Healthy Texas Women” also create a standard of reproductive care.
The state of Texas has pulled its Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, leaving poor residents with few options for affordable healthcare. Medicaid, a program focused on helping low-income families and individuals receive healthcare, has always been jointly operated by the state and the federal government. But to who this program would be eligible for is entirely up to the state. More conservative states, like Texas for example, strictly reserve Medicaid for only the most severe cases of poverty-stricken families, leaving a large portion of low-income residents uninsured. The Affordable Care Act, a federally mandated reform of Medicaid introduced by President Obama, would provide healthcare for many American citizens in need. Despite being
Currently, Community Prevention Partnership of Berks County, Nurse Family Partnership, home visitation Program, provides services to first time low income expectant mothers. The organization has been delivering the program for many years. Successfully, the program serves 250 families. The Berks county, Nurse Family Partnership program has served 1600 first time poor mothers, and 1250 children since it began. Most NFP clients by the time of referral are 18 years of age. Accordingly, the thirty-one percent of this first-time mothers receives Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and about fifty five percent are receiving Medicaid assistance. In fact, the household income average is 16, 000 and fifty two percent of mothers have not obtained a high school or GED diploma. Indeed, NFP outcomes involves maternal and child’s development education, referral and follow ups. Also, the program encourages breastfeeding, immunization updates developmental screenings. It has reduced smoking during pregnancy by 16.9% as well as prematurity rate by 4.5 %. (Michalopoulos, Lee, Duggan, Lundquist, Tso, Crowne, Burrell, Somers, Filene, & Knox, 2015).
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law. It was intended to provide the American people with better health coverage and care. Unfortunately, many people are still not covered due to a lack of information and because they simply cannot afford insurance even at a discounted price. Many feel that there is still a good deal of confusion regarding the ACA which can prevent people, especially women, from getting the coverage and care that they need. Women who are not used to getting medical care, may not know that programs now exist that make health care services free or very inexpensive. The women who are the least informed are the ones who need it the most as they experience high rates of unplanned births and chronic illnesses. It will be financially beneficial for local and state governments to find ways to get this information to women so as to prevent health problems that will cost the government millions of dollars in the long run.
The Low Country Healthy Start program was designed to eliminate disparities in perinatal health, improve birth outcomes, and quality of life in African American women and infants living in Allendale, Bamberg, Hampton, and Orangeburg counties. This process evaluation sought to determine whether the services provided by LCHS were effective in changing the birth outcomes associated with chronic disease in African American women. Data collected from the initial risk screening and assessment survey along with attendance data from services provided by LCHS was utilized. Case summaries and frequencies were ran on all data linked with chronic disease to determine the risk factors, recognize who was at risk, and what services were provided. Findings suggest that Asthma was the most common chronic disease amongst its participants with smoking tobacco, poor coping skills, negative feelings, and inadequate housing being the risk factors associated with asthma. The services provided by LCHS were found to be insufficient in reaching participants with chronic disease. The program in general proves to be useful and beneficial in addressing the major issues associated with low birthweight infants, however the data collected for this particular study is all self-reported which leaves gaps and unanswered questions due to inconsistency in the data received.
Healthcare access is a major public policy initiative to improve mothers and children's health access and utilization which began with Medicaid expansions in the 1980s and then came along (CHIP) Children’s Health Insurance Program in 1997. Greater access to prenatal care provided by Medicaid has not contributed to the declines in infant health disparities (Dubay, Joyce, Kaestner, & Kenney, 2001: Epstein & Newhouse, 1998). Studies suggest that Medicaid and CHIP the expansion has contributed to the declines in most mortalities for the external causes for children 6 to 17 years of age, but has not been resulted in the decrease in the mortality diseases between the white and black children (Howell, et al., 2010). Access to high-quality health care still remains an important goal for infants, children, and young women. To get high-quality care, Maternal Child Health population needs health insurance to help cover most of their benefits when it comes to providers and
will also be highly effective by the federal funds not received. As mentioned above, Diane Black introduced the policy in January of this year. However, in 2015 it got approved by the House but never moved forward after that. There is no relevant theoretical base on which the policy is founded. The policy is expected to provide a community health center program which will provide health centers in rural areas. It will offer its services to all everyone regardless of the person’s ability to pay, establish discount program, become a nonprofit or public organization and provide comprehensive primary care services. The policy will cover many pro life activist and Republican who want to outlaw abortion. The policy will be implemented by slowly eliminating Planned Parenthoods around the nation. Extremist say that the grants are intended to fund low income American with health services. However, they also say that Planned Parenthood misuses taxpayer dollars to supplant its abortion services. The intended short and long term goals and outcomes of the policy are to withhold federal funding from Planned Parenthood. With the money that Planned Parenthood receives in reimbursements the
Since this demographic faces many internal and external barriers, services have arisen in the DC area to provide aid. On a broader level, programs like WIC and Medicaid provide appropriate food and medical care to this population. However, on the local level, organizations such as Mary’s Center, the Community of Hope, and the Developing Families Centers have provided numerous minorities with health and prenatal care (Bowser). Out of these organizations, the Community of Hope and the Developing Families Center specifically target low income and pregnant African Americans.
PCI is a San Diego-based organization committed to providing health, opportunity, and support to disadvantaged mothers, children, and families living in the U.S./Mexico border region. Since 1961, founder Dr. James Turpin and his team have offered core services designed to reduce infant mortality and low birth weight, as well as increase the number of women accessing prenatal care during pregnancy. The program focuses on women from under served areas of central and southern San Diego County, especially in the nation’s
In order to accomplish the program’s specified mission, the HRPP/NICP developed goals which include: (1) early identification of women and children at risk of mortality and morbidity, (2) education for health professionals, families, and communities, (3) linkage of infant, toddlers, and pregnant women to risk appropriate services, and (4) establishment of standards of care (ADHS, 2009). As a result, the program has provided a safety net for Arizona families and a method for ensuring availability and accessibility of risk appropriate care to critically ill newborns and high-risk pregnant women, regardless of their ability to pay (ADHS,
The problem with this alternative is the degree of variability within these programs that might limit access, eligibility or benefits to those who need it. Connecticut has legislation underway that sets up a program that is completely employee funded, which puts an increased financial burden on the employee rather than splitting the contributions with their employers, despite the cost saving benefits employers may receive (Report of the Family Medical Leave Insurance Task Force, 2014). The challenges and barriers to federal/state programs are evident, one example of this is Medicaid. Medicaid is dramatically different from state to state which has made oversight difficult and diminished access to quality care (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2015).