Maternal and Child Health News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today recommended Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster for children aged 6-17 and Pfizer’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster for children aged 5-11 after the Food and Drug Administration authorized them for these ages.

The FDA authorized for emergency use the first commercial test kit to detect monkeypox in lesion swab specimens.

Hypertension while pregnant or postpartum can increase the risk of other complications that impact the mom and baby. Alison Williams, vice president of Clinical Quality Improvement at Missouri Hospital Association, and Kendell Farr, Women’s Health nurse practitioner at Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, discuss the launch of a home-based blood pressure monitoring program for at-risk patients, which was lauded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a Million Hearts 2021 Hypertension Control Exemplar.

CMS approved Medicaid demonstrations for Oregon and Massachusetts that will test innovative approaches to help eligible enrollees maintain coverage and access social services, including evidenced-based nutritional assistance and clinically-tailored housing supports. 

CMS today approved a state plan amendment allowing North Carolina to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act.

The House Ways and Means Committee today voted to advance to the full House bipartisan legislation (H.R. 8876) that would reauthorize the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, and double annual funding for the program to $800 million over five years.

An estimated 84% of pregnancy-related deaths in 36 states between 2017 and 2019 were preventable, according to a new CDC report based on data from interdisciplinary committees that review deaths during and up to one year after pregnancy. 

AHA will co-host a Sept. 27 Facebook Live event with AdventHealth on the importance of getting children vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, which will also cover the new bivalent booster shots.

AHA released an infographic on considerations for hospitals developing digital solutions to improve maternal care.

Prenatal cannabis exposure after five to six weeks of pregnancy is associated with attention, social and behavioral problems that persist into early adolescence, according to a study reported yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics. Supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the study is tracking nearly 12,000 youth as they grow into young adults to understand the factors that influence brain, cognitive and social-emotional development.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today alerted health care providers to an increase in pediatric hospitalizations for severe respiratory illness in patients who tested positive for rhinovirus and/or enterovirus, including enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). EV-D68 has been associated with acute flaccid myelitis, a rare but serious neurologic complication involving limb weakness.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today approved state plan amendments allowing Indiana and West Virginia to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act. They join 21 other states and Washington, D.C., in opting to extend the coverage under either the ARPA state plan option or section 1115 demonstration authority.

AHA, in comments today to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, voiced support for the agency’s new rural emergency hospital designation, particularly its potential value in the area of maternal health. “It is undeniable that access to maternal and child care services is lacking in certain areas of the country, including many rural communities,” AHA wrote.

A federal judge in Texas Aug. 23 blocked the Biden Administration from enforcing new guidance related to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which it issued following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The judge held the Department of Health and Human Services’ guidance does not preempt state law, exceeds the authority of EMTALA, and was improperly issued without notice and comment.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today approved state plan amendments allowing Hawaii, Maryland and Ohio to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees under the American Rescue Plan Act.

AHA's John Supplitt and Aisha Syeda joined the Rural Health Information Hub’s Exploring Rural Health podcast to discuss rural health care challenges and solutions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released guidance on an optional home health services benefit for Medicaid-eligible children with medically complex conditions effective Oct. 1 under the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019.

In a new report initiated by Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, Apple ties together its expansive devices and applications, its partnerships with hospitals and health systems and work with researchers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday released a plan to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities for people during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.

The Senate today passed and sent to the president for his signature the Formula Act.