This bill amends the Rhode Island Family Home-Visiting Act to enhance the state's home-visiting services for families with young children. It requires the Rhode Island Department of Health to coordinate a system of evidence-based home-visiting programs that serve vulnerable families, ensuring high-quality service delivery and improved outcomes in areas such as maternal and child health, safety, economic security, and early childhood development.

The bill mandates the issuance of an annual report by March 1 that outlines the components of the state's family home-visiting system, including state and federal funding amounts and sources. This report shall be shared with the General Assembly and made publicly available on the department's website. The report must include the number of families served by the First Connections program, demographic data on families served, duration of participation, cross-departmental coordination, and a projected three-year estimate of available federal MIECHV grant funds. It also requires an analysis of implementation successes and challenges, including funding, provider contracts, staffing, and family enrollment and retention.

Additionally, the bill introduces provisions to ensure that the state allocates the minimum amount necessary to access the maximum federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) funds available. The Department of Health is required to report on the total federal MIECHV funding received and spent, as well as the funding sources for each home-visiting program model. The act aims to expand access to home-visiting services for all vulnerable families, including pregnant and parenting teens, and to address staffing and financing challenges that have affected program enrollment. The changes are designed to maximize the use of federal funds and ensure the sustainability of these essential services.

Statutes affected:
6073: 23-13.7-2