DeWine calls for legislators to restore funding to pregnancy home visiting program

Gov. Mike DeWine said last week that state lawmakers should reconsider reductions proposed to his budget plan, including cuts to a home-visiting program for pregnant women aimed at reducing Ohio’s high infant mortality rate (Source: “Ohio House GOP could cut funds for home visits targeting infant mortality rate,” Statehouse News Bureau via WOSU Public Media, April 7).
 
The latest version of House Bill 96, DeWine said, does not fund some initiatives at “the levels that we think are necessary,” adding it is still relatively early in the budget cycle.
 
Lawmakers have proposed cutting money for Help Me Grow by more than $22.5 million during fiscal year 2027, according to analysis documents.
 
Geared toward pregnant women and newborn parents, Help Me Grow provides free professional home visits by nurses and social workers, alongside early intervention of developmental delays or disabilities in babies.
 
“These are reaching out to moms in very difficult times for them. This is one of the ways that you reduce infant mortality,” DeWine said. “We’re making some progress on infant mortality. We’re moving the numbers some, not as fast as we want.”
 
In 2022, Ohio had the eighth-highest infant mortality rate nationwide, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
 
DeWine asked the legislature for a funding increase for Help Me Grow earlier this year, but House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said Wednesday there were some questions about the program’s potential “efficacy,” hence the reduction.