Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
On March 8, Governor Mike DeWine announced he will ask to double state funding for “home visiting” programs and has set a goal to triple the number of families receiving in-home visits and care during and after pregnancy (Source: “Gov. DeWine Wants to Double State Funding for ‘Home Visiting,’ Announces Pay-For-Success Model to Increase Participation,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 8, 2019).
Home visits, which involve either community health workers, nurses, or social workers paying visits to mothers during pregnancy and up to two years after the birth of a child, are an evidence-based approach that has been proven to help reduce infant mortality and to improve the health of both mothers and their children.
The state currently provides about $20 million per year toward helping fund the programs statewide with local government and philanthropic partners contributing additional dollars. Gov. DeWine is asking for an additional $50 million over the next two years.
Most federal funding for home visiting comes from the Health Resources and Service Administration’s Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting program, which in 2018 awarded about $361 million in funding to 56 states and nonprofits to support evidence-based home visiting programs.