Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant

Title V is a Federal program dedicated to enhancing the health of mothers and children through partnerships with State Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) programs. It focuses on resource development, capacity building, and public health functions such as education and outreach. Title V aims to strengthen community capabilities to offer essential services like care coordination and health screenings, thereby supporting State Medicaid and SCHIP efforts. The program provides critical prenatal health services to 2 million women and primary and preventive care to over 17 million children, including nearly 1 million with special health needs. 

Here is Iowa’s most current Title V Application and Annual Report:  FFY2025 Maternal and Child Health Services Title V Block Grant

Five-Year Needs Assessment

Every five years, the Iowa Title V Program is required to complete a comprehensive statewide needs assessment to better understand the health status of women, adolescents, infants, and children, including children with special health care needs and their families in the State of Iowa.

The results of this needs assessment are used to identify statewide priorities and enable us to make targeted improvements in our outreach.

The latest Needs Assessment included:

• A statewide population survey with 4,366 responses
• A stakeholder/partner survey with nearly 500 responses
• A comprehensive review of all 99 Community Health Assessments and Improvement Plans (CHA-CHIP)
• A set of data detail sheets by population domain (women/maternal, perinatal/infant, child, adolescent, and children with special health care needs)
• Analysis of qualitative data from across HHS. 

Prioritization

Based on the analyzed data, a series of needs and priorities were identified. The next step is to gather input from stakeholders through a survey that will rank these needs according to six criteria. The results will guide the selection of national and state performance measures and help create a five-year state action plan for Iowa to promote optimal health for women, infants, children, adolescents, and youth with special health care needs.

To assist with the prioritization process, a number of data reports are available for review.

• Data Detail Sheets for each population domain:
  • Child Health Data Detail Sheet
  • Adolescent Health Data Detail Sheet
  • Women and Maternal Health Data Detail Sheet
  • Perinatal and Infant Data Detail Sheet
  • Child and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSCHN) Data Detail Sheet
• Population Survey Results
• Iowa HHS Partner Survey Results
• County Health Assessment – Community Health Improvement Plan (CHA-CHIP) Analysis
• Qualitative Analysis
  • Youth Advisory Focus Group

If you would like more information on the process thus far and future plans, please contact James Olson in the Bureau of Family Health at Iowa HHS.