Aumua Announces $100,000 HHS Grant Award for Maternal & Child Healthcare

Washington, D.C. –Monday, Congresswoman Aumua Amata, announced today that the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration (HHS) has awarded a grant in the amount of $95,564 to the LBJ Medical Center in Pago Pago for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services.

Image

Image

"As you know, many of our young women and children often cannot afford the proper medical care that is so essential to the healthy development of newborns. This award will help assist children and expecting mothers, who are facing economic challenges, to receive this important care," stated Amata.

Under HHS, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) programs primarily focus their efforts at the local level with individuals & families, the community, and state or territory. In addition, the MCHB leads
cross-cutting programs and initiatives that support innovative solutions to improve maternal and child health and the quality of health services for the MCH population.

The Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Program under the MCHB, is the Nation's oldest federal-state partnership, and aims to improve the health and well-being of women, particularly mothers, and children.

Funding from the grant awards seek to provide:

• Access to quality care, especially for those with low-incomes or limited availability of care
• Assistance in the reduction of infant mortality
• Access to comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care for women, especially low-income and at-risk pregnant women
• An increase in health assessments and follow-up diagnostic and treatment services
• Access to preventive and child care services as well as rehabilitative services for certain children
• Family-centered, community-based systems of coordinated care for children with special healthcare needs
• Toll-free hotlines and assistance in applying for services to pregnant women with infants and children who are eligible for Medicaid.

"I want to thank those individuals at HHS and the MCHB for their insight and recognition of the need for such assistance in American Samoa. I also would like to thank Project Director Anaise Uso and the others here at home who worked so hard to obtain these vital funds for our island," concluded Amata.

# # #