HHS Awards $240 Million to Expand Maternal Health Centers and Train 2,000 Certified Midwives

WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the award of $240 million in competitive grants under the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant and the Healthy Start Initiative, delivering capital to 95 community health networks across 30 states.

Eliminating Maternal Health Deserts and Lowering Complication Rates

The funding packages provide capital to construct 50 new full-service community maternal health clinics in rural and urban counties lacking obstetric care, while funding full tuition scholarships and living stipends for 2,000 students enrolled in accredited certified nurse-midwife (CNM) and doula training programs. Public health data indicates that comprehensive prenatal midwifery care reduces preterm births by 25% and lowers maternal morbidity among vulnerable demographic groups.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated that every expectant mother deserves access to compassionate, high-quality maternal healthcare before, during, and after childbirth.

Obstetric Colleges and Midwifery Federations Endorse

The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) strongly endorsed the federal funding expansion, highlighting the integration of doula services into Medicaid managed care plans.

Rural hospital directors praised the mobile obstetric telemedicine vans funded through the grants.

Clinical Expansion Rollout

Grant funds will disburse to accredited medical universities and community health centers on October 1, 2026.