County Supervisors approved applying for a State program that includes Federal funding and would help with health issues for expectant mothers, infants and toddlers.
The report from Liz Merson the Provisional Deputy Director of Public Health, asked Supervisors at their July 7 meeting to retroactively approve applying for over $3.9 million from the “California Department of Public Health Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health” program covering this year and the next two fiscal years (2026-2029). Throw in County matching funding and the grand total for the program here tops $7.9 million.
The move would “support program mandates, ensure access to maternal, child, and adolescent health services and supports, reduce health disparities within the local maternal, child and adolescent population, and continued support for 10.50 FTE [full time equivalent] existing staff positions,” the report explained.
The grant money includes “Title V Block Grant, Title XIX Federal Financial Participation Match, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) Allocation” monies.
The County has been running this program for a long time.
“The Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) Program,” Merson said, “is a longstanding state and federally funded public health program that supports local health jurisdictions in improving the health and well-being of women, infants, children, adolescents, and families.
“San Luis Obispo County has participated in the program for many years and receives annual funding from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to carry out required public health activities and meet state and federal program mandates.”
Getting this MCAH funding is routine for SLO County’s Health Department and they help cover mandated programs.
“These funding sources,” Merson said, “support a coordinated system of maternal and child health services focused on improving health outcomes, expanding access to care, reducing health disparities, identifying health and developmental needs early, and connecting families with appropriate services.”
The California Department of Public Health requires multi-year grant applications, Merson said. The program is intended to help the needy.
“These efforts support population-wide health,” she said, “while prioritizing improved outcomes and access to care for populations at higher risk, including children and youth with special health care needs, as well as low-income and underserved residents.”
In a budget appearing in the report, salaries and benefits of those 10.5 FTE employees tops $1.8 million each year.
The budget includes some $388,000 in operating costs and $450,000 in “indirect” costs for a total of over $2.64 million each year.
Under “Funding” the budget lists the County’s annual contribution as $902,000 a year coming out of the General Fund.
There are also significant amounts of funding coming from other State programs. First 5 Grant Awards are listed as $185,000 a year and under Prop. 56 and Prop. 99 funding it shows $169,900 a year.
The FFP Title XIX funding is the most at $1.18 million a year.
How many people does this program actually help? Merson said, “During FY 2024–25, the MCAH Program served 1,153 pregnant individuals, 2,428 infants under 1-year of age, and more than 6,000 young children ages 1–2, including nearly 1,000 identified as children and youth with special health care needs.”
She added that the County Health Department met all program requirements for reporting in FY 2024-25 and the report for 2025-26 is being worked on now.
They also instituted “a protocol to ensure individuals are referred for health insurance enrollment and receive recommended preventive care.”
