Rhode Island

Rhode Island offers a variety of programs and initiatives focused on perinatal care to support the health and well-being of mothers and infants. Below are key resources available in the state:

Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (Title V)
The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) administers the Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, aiming to improve the health of all women, children, and families. This federal program supports a range of services, including prenatal care, infant health, and support for children with special healthcare needs.

Center for Maternal and Child Health
RIDOH's Center for Maternal and Child Health focuses on supporting and promoting the health of birthing parents, children, and families. The center addresses racial, environmental, and socioeconomic inequities to improve health outcomes. It oversees various programs, such as the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, to ensure comprehensive care for these populations. Learn More

Rhode Island WIC Program: Provides supplemental nutrition, breastfeeding support, and health education for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children up to age five. WIC offers healthy food benefits, personalized nutrition counseling, and referrals to healthcare and social services.
Eligibility: Low-income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, infants, and children under five.

Family Visiting Programs

Rhode Island's Family Visiting Programs, include

First Connections which provides short-term home visiting services designed to improve the health and development of young children and their families. These programs offer support and resources to expectant and new parents, focusing on communities at risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes.

Healthy Families America (HFA) is a national evidence-based maternal home visiting program that provides free, voluntary, and confidential services. In Rhode Island, the program pairs expectant mothers or families with newborns with a home visitor who provides services until the child's fourth birthday.

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)
NFP is an evidence-based, community health program that serves low-income, first-time mothers. The program pairs mothers with registered nurses who provide home visits from pregnancy through the child's second birthday, aiming to improve prenatal health, child health and development, and the economic self-sufficiency of the family.

Parents as Teachers (PAT)
PAT is an evidence-based home visiting model implemented in Rhode Island, targeting high-risk pregnant women and mothers with young children. The program focuses on parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting, and family well-being to improve child development and school readiness.

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program
The MIECHV Program supports the Rhode Island Home Visiting Program, providing voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services for expectant and new parents with children through kindergarten entry age living in communities at risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes. In Rhode Island, the program implements HFA, NFP, and PAT models.

These programs collectively aim to support and enhance the health and well-being of mothers, children, and families in Rhode Island.