Sec. 201. Investments in community-based organizations to improve Black maternal health outcomes
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Following the 1-year period described in subsection (c), the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the Secretary ), acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, shall award grants to eligible entities to establish or expand programs to prevent maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among Black women. To be eligible to seek a grant under this section, an entity shall be a community-based organization offering programs and resources aligned with evidence-based practices for improving maternal health outcomes for Black women.
During the 1-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— conduct outreach to encourage eligible entities to apply for grants under this section; and provide technical assistance to eligible entities on best practices for applying for grants under this section. In conducting outreach under subsection (c), the Secretary shall give special consideration to eligible entities that— are based in, and provide support for, communities with— high rates of adverse maternal health outcomes; and significant racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes; are led by Black women; and offer programs and resources that are aligned with evidence-based practices for improving maternal health outcomes for Black women.
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to eligible entities that— are described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and
(C)of paragraph (1); offer programs and resources designed in consultation with and intended for Black women; and offer programs and resources in the communities in which the respective eligible entities are located that— promote maternal mental health and maternal substance use disorder treatments that are aligned with evidence-based practices for improving maternal mental health outcomes for Black women; address social determinants of health for women in the prenatal and postpartum periods, including— housing; transportation; nutrition counseling; healthy foods; lactation support; lead abatement and other efforts to improve air and water quality; child care access; car seat installation; wellness and stress management programs; or coordination across safety-net and social support services and programs; promote evidence-based health literacy and pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting education for women in the prenatal and postpartum periods; provide support from doulas and other perinatal health workers to women from pregnancy through the postpartum period; provide culturally congruent training to perinatal health workers such as doulas, community health workers, peer supporters, certified lactation consultants, nutritionists and dietitians, social workers, home visitors, and navigators; conduct or support research on Black maternal health issues; or have developed other programs and resources that address community-specific needs for women in the prenatal and postpartum periods and are aligned with evidence-based practices for improving maternal health outcomes for Black women. The Secretary shall provide to grant recipients under this section technical assistance on— capacity building to establish or expand programs to prevent adverse maternal health outcomes among Black women; best practices in data collection, measurement, evaluation, and reporting; and planning for sustaining programs to prevent maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among Black women after the period of the grant. Not later than the end of fiscal year 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an evaluation of the grant program under this section that— assesses the effectiveness of outreach efforts during the application process in diversifying the pool of grant recipients; makes recommendations for future outreach efforts to diversify the pool of grant recipients for Department of Health and Human Services grant programs and funding opportunities; assesses the effectiveness of programs funded by grants under this section in improving maternal health outcomes for Black women; and makes recommendations for future Department of Health and Human Services grant programs and funding opportunities that deliver funding to community-based organizations to improve Black maternal health outcomes through programs and resources that are aligned with evidence-based practices for improving maternal health outcomes for Black women. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.