Title V in Alaska

Maternal Child Health Needs Assessment

About the Needs Assessment

Every five years the Division of Public Health, Section of Women’s, Children’s & Family Health conducts a statewide maternal and child health (MCH) needs assessment to develop a state action plan for services funded through the MCH Title V Block Grant. The purpose of the assessment is to determine health status and gaps in health care services. The findings resulted in the selection of MCH priorities that will drive local MCH work from 2016-2020. State MCH staff use the selected MCH priorities as a tool to focus efforts, align resources, and to positively impact the lives of infants, women, children and youth including those with special health care needs.

2015 Title V Block Grant Needs Assessment Results

The 5-year Needs Assessment includes analysis of public health and other data, a survey of Alaska residents/stakeholders, key informant interviews, and an assessment of the state’s MCH public health care system for the following populations:

  • Infants/newborns
  • Children
  • Adolescents
  • Women of childbearing age
  • Children and youth with special health care needs

2015-2019 State Priorities are:

  • Reduce susbstance abuse among families, including alcohol, tobacco and drugs
  • Increase access and preventative health care services to Alaskans and their families
  • Increase healthy relationships
  • Increase access and services to reproductive health care
  • Improve system of care for families with children and youth with special health care needs
  • Reduce the rate of child maltreatment (Life Course)
  • Increase the evidence-based screening for all MCH populations for behavioral and mental health problems (Life Course)