Sec. 9. Public and provider awareness campaign promoting maternal and child health
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The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with State, local, territorial, health departments, Indian Tribes, Tribal serving organizations, public health experts and associations, the medical and allied professional community, and minority health organizations, shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to establish a national evidence-based public and provider awareness campaign on the importance of maternal and child health, including identifying and responding to maternal health warning signs and vaccinations for the health of pregnant women and their children, with the goal of increasing vaccination rates among pregnant women and children, reducing racism and racial, ethnic, and geographic inequities in maternal and child health, and reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity.
An entity receiving a grant under this section shall use grant funds to supplement, not supplant, any Federal, State, or local funds supporting the establishment of a national evidence-based public and provider awareness campaign with all resources in an accessible format that— increases awareness and knowledge of maternal health warning signs and how to respond to those signs as well as the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for pregnant women and their children; provides targeted evidence-based, culturally- and linguistically-appropriate resources to pregnant women, particularly in communities with low rates of vaccination and in rural and underserved areas; and provides evidence-based information and resources on the importance of maternal and child health, including maternal health warning signs and the safety of vaccinations for pregnant women and their children to public health departments and health care providers that care for pregnant women.
To be eligible for a grant under this section, a public or private entity shall submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure that the information and resources developed for the campaign under this section are disseminated to other divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services working to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Not later than January 1, 2026, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish quantitative and qualitative metrics to evaluate the campaign under this section and shall submit a report detailing the campaign’s impact to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives. To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.