Feds announce $525 million in home-visiting funding, $13.4 million for Ohio

Officials from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration announced that it is awarding $525 million nationwide, including $13.4 million to 26 counties in Ohio, to the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, a federal initiative that supports pregnant women and families in at-risk communities, including in Ohio (Source: “Ohio maternal home visiting program gets $525 million federal investment,” Spectrum News, Oct. 5).
 
The program connects families with trained professionals, including nurses, social workers and early childhood educators.
 
Data shows almost 650,000 households in Ohio live below the federal poverty level.
 
Another 1.15 million households are considered ALICE, a tool developed by the United Way that stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. It is used to demonstrate the challenges of working families who cannot afford basic necessities despite having a job and earning above the federal poverty level. 
 
In announcing the new funding, Tom Engels, administrator from the Health Resources and Services Administration, described the more than $525 million as the largest investment in the country for the programs.