Maternal and Child Health News

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Emergency departments in the highest quartile of pediatric readiness based on National Pediatric Readiness Project standards have lower death rates for children with serious injury or illness than EDs in the lowest quartile, according to a federal study reported in JAMA Network Open.
States that expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income adults in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act reduced postpartum hospitalizations for low-income people, according to a study reported yesterday in Health Affairs, which compared 2010-2017 data from four states that expanded Medicaid and four that did not. 
The Health Resources and Services Administration today awarded nearly $60 million over five years to help 24 health care and educational organizations integrate mental health training into training for primary care clinicians, with a focus on preparing them to treat mental health needs in children and adolescents.
In a study reported yesterday in JAMA Internal Medicine, children and adolescents previously diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) reported no serious complications after COVID-19 vaccination.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response Friday deployed a 14-member National Disaster Medical System team to the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital to help support staff caring for a surge in pediatric respiratory illnesses, such as flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
The Food and Drug Administration today authorized the Moderna and Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in children as young as 6 months old. Specifically, the agency authorized the Moderna vaccine as a single booster dose for children aged 6 months through 5 at least two months after primary vaccination, and the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 6 months through 4 who have not yet received the third primary series dose.
The House Friday voted 390-26 to approve bipartisan legislation (H.R.8876) that would reauthorize the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program and double annual funding f
The Health Resources and Services Administration has released Maternity Care Target Area weighted scores for Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas experiencing a shortage of maternity health care professionals.
Memora Health, which focuses on virtual care delivery and complex care management, hopes the initiative will reduce the burden on clinical and administrative teams at Mayo Clinic and extend the relationship between care teams and new mothers. Memora’s care programs digitize workflows and patient communications via AI-supported messaging and established clinical and administrative processes.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services yesterday approved state plan amendments allowing Georgia and Pennsylvania 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.
In recognition of National Women’s Blood Pressure Awareness Week, Oct. 17-23, Shanna Cox, associate director for science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses the increase in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and how the CDC’s Hear Her campaign resources can help hospitals identify and prevent associated complications.
The panel also recommended screening children aged 12-18 for major depressive disorder, as it did in 2016.
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.
More than 2.5 million students in grades 6-12 reported using electronic cigarettes in the past 30 days when surveyed this year, including 14% of high school students and 3% of middle school students, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today.
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. 
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) to evaluated a virtual adolescent treatment known as SparkRx. The CHLA study is the latest of many efforts to assess the value and limitations among the rapidly rising number of apps and telehealth offerings designed to serve the needs of patients accessing mental health services, particularly the young.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living this week released its first National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, developed by two congressionally mandated advisory councils to foster public-private collaboration to support the millions of Americans who provide assistance to a family member with a health condition or functional limitation.
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.