The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) continues to unite with partners to champion critical federal investments that strengthen maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes.
On September 15, AMCHP co-led an organizational sign-on letter with the National Healthy Start Association urging Congress to provide no less than $145.25 million for Healthy Start in fiscal year 2027 (FY27). Signed by nearly 360 organizations, the letter highlights Healthy Start’s role in supporting families during pregnancy, postpartum, and infancy through services including care coordination, behavioral health, breastfeeding support, and father engagement.
As previously shared, the FY27 House Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) appropriations bill proposed a full elimination of the Healthy Start program, mistakenly asserting that it is duplicative of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. The letter further discusses the distinct roles of each program, emphasizing that while both support families, they serve different purposes and provide complementary services to communities. Ultimately, eliminating Healthy Start would leave significant gaps in services for communities experiencing the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality. Read the letter and view the signers.
AMCHP will continue to advocate for robust funding of the Healthy Start program and other vital MCH programs throughout the FY27 appropriations process and beyond. To stay up-to-date on and get involved in AMCHP’s appropriations efforts:
- Check back on our Government Affairs webpage for updates on our FY27 appropriations work;
- Register for the AMCHP Policy & Partnership Town Hall Series, which occurs on the second Thursday of every month at 2 PM ET; and
- Sign up for AMCHP Policy Alerts and Policy Digests, and share the subscribe link with your peers.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Government Affairs Team with questions: Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org) and Gabrielle Galusha (ggalusha@amchp.org).
