Bill > HR79

This bill, the Nationally Enhancing the Well-being of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act, authorizes funding for the creation and implementation of infant mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas with high rates of infant mortality. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants to eligible entities (county, city, territorial, or tribal health departments) to develop and implement these pilot programs. The programs can include outreach to at-risk mothers, development of systems to improve access and quality of services, rural outreach, and public education campaigns, among other activities. The bill also authorizes $10 million per year from fiscal years 2021 to 2025 to carry out these infant mortality pilot programs, in addition to funding for the existing Healthy Start Initiative.