North Carolina § 130A-124 - Department to establish maternal and child health program.

§ 130A-124. Department to establish maternal and child health program.

The Department shall establish and administer a maternal and child health program for the delivery of preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic and habilitative health services to women of childbearing years, children and other persons who require these services. The program may include, but shall not be limited to, providing professional education and consultation, community coordination and direct care and counseling. The Commission shall adopt rules necessary to implement the program. Prior year refunds received by the Children's Special Health Services Program that are not encumbered or spent during a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund but shall remain in the Department for purchase of care and contracts in the Program. Funds appropriated for the purchase of care and contracts in the Program that are encumbered and not spent during a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund but shall remain in the Department for the purchase of care and contracts in the Program. History (1983, c. 891, s. 2; 1993, c. 321, s. 275(a); 1997-172, s. 1; 1997-456, s. 54.) Local Health Departments/Competitive Grant Process to Improve Maternal and Child Health. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11E.3(a)-(d), provides: "(a) Funds appropriated in this act to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, for each year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium to award competitive grants to local health departments for the improvement of maternal and child health shall be used to continue administering a competitive grant process for local health departments based on maternal and infant health indicators and the county's detailed proposal to invest in evidence-based programs to achieve the following goals: "(1) Improve North Carolina's birth outcomes. "(2) Improve the overall health status of children in this State from birth to age five. "(3) Lower the State's infant mortality rate. "(b) The plan for administering the competitive grant process shall include at least all of the following components: "(1) A request for application (RFA) process to allow local health departments to apply for and receive State funds on a competitive basis. The Department shall require local health departments to include in the application a plan to evaluate the effectiveness, including measurable impact or outcomes, of the activities, services, and programs for which the funds are being requested. "(2) A requirement that the Secretary prioritize grant awards to those local health departments that are able to leverage non-State funds in addition to the grant award. "(3) Ensures that funds received by the Department to implement the plan supplement and do not supplant existing funds for maternal and child health initiatives. "(4) Allows grants to be awarded to local health departments for up to two years. "(c) No later than July 1 of each year, as applicable, the Secretary shall announce the recipients of the competitive grant awards and allocate funds to the grant recipients for the respective grant period pursuant to the amounts designated under subsection (a) of this section. After awards have been granted, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services on the grant awards that includes at least all of the following: "(1) The identity and a brief description of each grantee and each program or initiative offered by the grantee. "(2) The amount of funding awarded to each grantee. "(3) The number of persons served by each grantee, broken down by program or initiative. "(d) No later than December 1 of each fiscal year, each local health department receiving funding pursuant to this section in the respective fiscal year shall submit to the Division of Central Management and Support a written report of all activities funded by State appropriations. The report shall include the following information about the fiscal year preceding the year in which the report is due: "(1) A description of the types of programs, services, and activities funded by State appropriations. "(2) Statistical and demographical information on the number of persons served by these programs, services, and activities, including the counties in which services are provided. "(3) Outcome measures that demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of the programs, services, and activities based on the evaluation protocols developed by the Division, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, pursuant to Section 12E.11(e) of S.L. 2015-241, and reported to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services on April 1, 2016. "(4) A detailed program budget and list of expenditures, including all positions funded, matching expenditures, and funding sources." Funds for Pregnancy Care Initiatives. - Session Laws 2017-57, s. 11E.13(a)-(f), as amended by S.L. 2018-5, s. 11E.3, provides: "(a) Of the funds appropriated in this act to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, the sum of one million three hundred thousand dollars ($1,300,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2017-2018 fiscal year and the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2018-2019 fiscal year shall be allocated to the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, a nonprofit organization, to be used as follows: "(1) $800,000 in nonrecurring funds for each fiscal year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium shall be used to provide grants to purchase durable medical equipment for clinics that apply to the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship for such equipment. "(2) $170,000 in nonrecurring funds for each fiscal year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium may be used to provide grants for training on the use of durable medical equipment to clinics that apply to the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship for such training. "(3) $30,000 in nonrecurring funds for each fiscal year of the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium may be used by Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship for administrative purposes related to the grants authorized by subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection. "(4) $300,000 in nonrecurring funds for the 2017-2018 fiscal year shall be transferred to the Human Coalition, a nonprofit organization, to develop and implement a two-year continuum of care pilot program as provided in subsection (b) of this section. "(b) Funds allocated to the Human Coalition shall be used to develop and implement a two-year pilot program at its Raleigh clinic to provide a continuum of care and support to assist women experiencing crisis pregnancies to continue their pregnancies to full term. These funds shall be used for nonsectarian purposes only. "(c) The pilot program authorized by subsection (b) of this section shall consist of at least all of the following components: "(1) The use of care coordinators to perform the following functions: "a. Assess the immediate challenges causing a program participant to seek abortion and eliminate these challenges by assisting the program participant in connecting to appropriate resources. The care coordinator shall personally assist a program participant in connecting to appropriate resources, when appropriate. "b. Introduce each program participant to a trained mentor who will continue to guide the program participant toward positive lifestyle changes. "(2) The use of licensed nursing staff in the Human Coalition's Raleigh clinic to provide medical support to program participants. "(3) Close collaboration between care coordinators and licensed nursing staff during initial counseling sessions in order to accomplish the following: "a. Appropriately introduce continuum of care services available through the pilot program. "b. Create individual care plans for program participants and their families to help build a stable family life for the duration of the pregnancy. Care plans should identify and address any further challenges identified by care coordinators with encouragement and additional resources. "(d) By November 1, 2017, and periodically thereafter, the Human Coalition shall report to the Department on the start-up and operations of the pilot program authorized by subsection (b) of this section. By April 1, 2018, the Department shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources and the Fiscal Research Division on the status of the pilot program. "(e) By April 1, 2019, the Department shall submit a final report on the pilot program authorized by subsection (b) of this section to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services and the Fiscal Research Division. At a minimum, the Department's final report shall include all of the following: "(1) An estimate of the cost to expand the program incrementally and statewide. "(2) An estimate of any potential savings of State funds associated with expansion of the program. "(3) If expansion of the program is recommended, a time line for expanding the program. "(f) Unless otherwise extended by law, the pilot program authorized by subsection (b) of this section expires June 30, 2019." Editor's Notes. - Session Laws 2015-241, s. 12E.11(a)-(e), provides: "(a) Findings. - The General Assembly finds that America spends twice as much on health care as any other nation, yet Americans are not the healthiest people in the world. Research indicates that spending on health care to treat people may actually come at the expense of investing in public health programs meant to keep people from getting sick in the first place. The General Assembly further finds that infant mortality rates are an indicator of a state's overall health status. North Carolina currently ranks 40th in the nation on infant mortality. Implementing statewide policies to invest in evidence-based programs that are scientifically proven to lower infant mortality rates and improve birth outcomes and the health of children ages birth to five will assure that future rankings for North Carolina are among the best in the nation. "(b) Designation of Lead Agency. - The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health (Division), shall be the lead agency responsible for doing all of the following: "(1) Assuming responsibility for controlling all funding and contracts designed to (i) improve North Carolina's birth outcomes, (ii) improve the overall health status of children in this State from ages birth to five, and (iii) lower this State's infant mortality rates. "(2) Working in consultation with the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health to develop a statewide, comprehensive plan to accomplish the goals described in subdivision (1) of this subsection. "(3) Conducting a continuation review of all maternal and child health-related programs and activities as directed under Section 6.20 of this act, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Program Evaluation Reporting and Accountability (OPERA), as created in Section 12A.3 of this act. "(c) Establishment of Competitive Grants Process for Local Health Departments. - It is the intent of the General Assembly that, beginning in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the Division implement a competitive grants process for local health departments based on maternal and infant health indicators and the county's detailed proposal to invest in evidence-based programs to achieve the goals described in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section. To that end, the Division shall develop a plan to establish a competitive grants process that, at a minimum, includes each of the following components: "(1) A request for application (RFA) process to allow local health departments to apply for and receive State funds on a competitive basis. "(2) A requirement that the Division prioritize grant awards to those local health departments that are able to leverage non-State funds in addition to the grant award. "(3) A process that awards grants to local health departments dedicated to providing services on a countywide basis and that supports the goals described in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section. "(4) Ensures that funds received by the Division to implement the plan supplement and do not supplant existing funds for health and wellness programs and initiatives. "(d) Funds for Competitive Grants Process. - Of the funds appropriated in this act to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health (Division), the sum of two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium shall be used to establish the competitive grants process for local health departments described in subsection (c) of this section. The Division shall not use more than five percent (5%) of these funds for administrative purposes. "(e) Evaluation Protocol for Future Program Funding. - The Division shall work with the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health (School of Global Public Health) to establish an evaluation protocol for determining program effectiveness and future funding requirements at the local level. By April 1, 2016, the Department, in consultation with the School of Global Public Health, shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services on the request for application process to allow local health departments to apply for and receive State funds on a competitive basis. The report shall include the counties awarded, the amount of the award, the types of programs to be funded, and the evaluation process to be used in determining county performance." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as 'The Current Operations and Capital Improvements Appropriations Act of 2015.'" Session Laws 2015-241, s. 33.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2015-2017 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2015-241, s. 33.6, is a severability clause. Session Laws 2017-57, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2017.'" Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium." Session Laws 2017-57, s. 39.6, is a severability clause. Session Laws 2018-5, s. 11E.4, provides: "Of the funds appropriated in this act to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, the sum of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2018-2019 fiscal year shall be allocated to the Human Coalition, a nonprofit organization, to continue the two-year pilot program authorized by Section 11E.13(b) of S.L. 2017-57." Session Laws 2018-5, s. 1.1, provides: "This act shall be known as the 'Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2018.'" Session Laws 2018-5, s. 39.4, provides: "Except for statutory changes or other provisions that clearly indicate an intention to have effects beyond the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the textual provisions of this act apply only to funds appropriated for, and activities occurring during, the 2018-2019 fiscal year." Session Laws 2018-5, s. 39.7, is a severability clause.