Maryland § 24-1506

§ 24-1506.

    (a)    (1)    (i)    The Secretary shall, in coordination with the Maternal and Child Health Bureau in the Department, award competitive grants to federally qualified health centers, hospitals, and providers of prenatal care that propose a program to increase accessibility to prenatal care in communities with members who would otherwise not receive prenatal care, including women who cannot obtain prenatal care due to their immigration status.

            (ii)    A federally qualified health center, hospital, or provider of prenatal care that receives a grant under this paragraph may use the funding to promote and market the proposed program.

        (2)    The Secretary may require an applicant to provide matching funds or in–kind contributions as a condition of receiving a grant under this section.

        (3)    The Secretary shall distribute at least the following totals in grants under this section:

            (i)    $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2023;

            (ii)    $2,000,000 in fiscal year 2024; and

            (iii)    $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter.

    (b)    The Secretary shall ensure that grants awarded under this section are used for the purposes of:

        (1)    Improving the health outcomes of pregnant women in the community served using the grant funds; and

        (2)    Collecting sufficient data to determine how to expand successful elements of the program to other communities in the State.

    (c)    On or before December 1 each year, beginning in 2023, the Secretary shall submit to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, to the General Assembly a report on the grants distributed under this section for the most recent closed fiscal year, including:

        (1)    The total number of grants distributed; and

        (2)    Information about grant recipients and the programs and services provided using the grant funding.